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A bustling restaurant can mean one of two things – a degree of disorganisation or food and service good enough to be in demand, with potential customers queuing at the door to get a table.
Happily it is the latter case at this restaurant, where the cheerful pizza chef plies his trade with quite a bit of style and ebullience.
Bustle often coincides with the Italian style of quick and cheerful service in a lively atmosphere against a background of Latin music and a fairly crowded atmosphere, with plenty of staff to keep things moving.
There is a homely hubbub and a clientele that even on a midweek evening includes a considerable number of younger people, perhaps reflecting the proximity of the student residential area.
For a start there is an extensive menu, long enough for Oliver and partner to plead for extra time when the waiter first approached for orders. No problem.
For starters the aubergine steak with sweet corn sauce (£3.45) was actually from the vegetarian section. But you have to be adventurous sometimes.
This time it paid off, with thick and tender aubergine slices in an interesting and tasty sauce.
More conventional fare on the other side of the table – nothing wrong with that, of course – ran to sardines (£3.45) which were sizeable, hot and pleasantly crisp. Served with a little salad.
Somehow tagliatelle always seems more substantial and yet more manageable than spaghetti – something on which this particular pair of eating partners agrees.
The combination of tagliatelle with chopped smoked salmon and black peppers in creamy sauce (£5.45) sounded about right and more of a change than the same basic dish with chicken and mushrooms (£5.25).
They were both nicely cooked and served and the portions were plentiful, but not quite enough to leave no room for desert.
Vanilla ice cream with butterscotch sauce took the eye and pleased the taste buds, with coffee praline performing a similar service for the other half of the partnership. They cost £2.35 each.
Cappuccino at 80p came with the offer of refills and was good and strong. The large glass of an acceptable medium house wine (it must have been around half a pint) was £2.85 a throw.
Total bill for the evening ran out at £29.60, not including gratuities.
Star ratings
+++++ (5)
++++ (4)
+++++ (5)
++++ (4)
+++++ EXCELLENT ++++ VERY GOOD +++ GOOD ++ AVERAGE + POOR
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