EINBURGH
I Bar Roma 3% ()ueensferr} Street. 226 3977. Mon Sun noon—midnight. large and busy restaurant sometimes full of
hen office hirthda} parties vvhooping it up in the evening. A prettv
vvelI-exeeuted range of disltes is delivered \sllh good humour and at hiin speed. The eiv ilised hotlrs mean that _\our 4 o‘eloels eraving for spaghetti alle vongole need not go unsatisfied.
I Cosmo's 5Sa( astle Street. 336N743.
I orig-established upmarket Italian vvith no pizzas and little pasta on the menu. .»\ earniv ore's paradise. at a pt tee Sometimes aeeused ol heing'not reall_\ ltaltan'. but not neeessarilv an} vvotse tor that.
I GennaroM
small. almost cafe-like plaee \\ ith a relaxed atmosphere. better than
Street. 336 .‘mSR. ()ne ol a
(irassmarket. 22(137llu. .-\
reasonable prices. ('an he addietive
I The Patio .s'“ I Ianov er
rovv ot ordinar}-IooI\ing Italianson Ilanov er Street. hill the settlood taglialelle I had there last “as e\traordinari|v good l'ilsll ltIId \ellltititl speeials dailv are therefore liker tolie \vorlheheekingout 'I'IiislattirIv-rtin restaurant is larger than It seemsso hooking isn't a neeessitv
I Ponte Vecchi04
(itanv ille l’laee. Stoeklitldge. 33ll357o Nevv ish. elean-eut restaurant serving better than av erage pasta to a mixed and sometimes loud elientele.
. If“) lidstel Rudd.
11302.3()an
(Lift Ilpm. [.0tstil people's lavourtte I'.klltll‘tll'g_'lt Italian. Intimate atmosphere. autlientie north Italian\ food and disereet set \ iee. Slightl) out ol the vvav hut delinitelv north the trip. Hookingadvisalile
I Gordon's Trattoria 231 High Street. 235 7992. NoonJam. seven davs. Down-to-earth. but higth edible food in a long. thin restaurant on the Royal MileBusv when it gets late but tisuaIIv very friendly. (£16)
GLASGOW
I II Bongustaio s4 Mam Street. t'ddingston ((1 miles from eit_v along .\I.\'l_
orders III-15pm. late Iieenee until lam. Worth the detour forthe
marv eIIous food and eongenial staff. After the melt entrees. tr} and leave space It)!” their aleoholie and irresistahle desserts. I Ciao by Equi 441 Sauehiehall Street. 4505, Mon 'l'hurs Ill..‘~llam llpm; liri Sat Ill..‘~llam midnight. I-tiui‘s hav e hranehed out Itom theiroriginal eale to open this ristorante and pi/xeria in high Italian
st} Ie. (iood pix/as and pasta in restrained. hut triendlv surroundings.
I II Pescatore Hs‘ Woodlands Road. 333 033‘). Mon Fri
noon 2pm. 6 11pm; Sat t» I Ipm. Speeialising in
333
fish and seafood. for those vvith a taste for the high
I La Parmigiana 447 (ireat Western Road. 334 (than. Mon- Sat
lIani 2.30pm. o llpm. .-\ small restaurant oltering some unusual dishes and an excellent l‘llslness Iuneh menu.
I Ristorante Caprese 2‘1 Buehanan Street (basement I. 332 .illél 1. Morr-Satiinl Ilpm Italian right dovv n to the tahIe-eloths. 'I‘he e\eellent pasta dishes offer plentv of varier lot vegetarians and something for those vv ho ean't faee vet another
I La Vigne Wetlgate.
standard. but
0n the West coast the name of Nardini is synonymous with luscious, multi-flavoured ice-cream. In the seaside town at Largs the name is emblazoned across a vast white building which has become something of a mecca for those with a taste for all things Italian.
Nardini‘s cafe and restaurant stands on the Largs ‘corniche', commanding views across the Firth of Clyde to Argyll and the Isles. The building is the hub of an ever-expanding tamin business, which supplies ice-cream throughout the area, and ran the successful Rotunda restaurant at the Glasgow Garden Festival. The Largs establishment, which dates from 1935, is a phenomenon. A staff of 60 (rising to 120 inthe summer) serve an all~encompassing range of Italian edibles to the endless stream of customers happy to make the 40 mile trip from Glasgow. The most successful lines at Nardini's are, perhaps, the sweetmeats: Ilorentines, cakes and pastries are all prepared in their own bakery. Only by baking theirown, explains Peter Nardini, the dapper managing director, can they be assured of the quality which both the company and the customer expect. The family, who originate from the province
av erage lood and
o5: I932. Mon Sat
t'ddingston Slhlltlll. 1 ast
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMIGLIA
d of Lucca, have won so many prizes for their products, there must be atrophy room hidden somewhere behind the dignified 19503 cafe or the more select restaurant.
The name of Vito Crolla is probably as well known in Edinburgh as Nardini is in Glasgow, but lately it has been causing its owner a bit of a headache.
Vito opened hisfirst restaurant in Fountainbridge in 1972, then progressed to Vito’s, a Frederick Street basement which quickly became famous for its imaginative upmarket food and discreet, attentive service. Vito himself (’Nobody ever calls me Mr Crolla’) became something of an Edinburgh character. A visitto Vito‘s was incomplete without his personal
Hcemsed
PESEBUPBHE
_UNCH — 12—2.30pm EVENINGS — 6—1 lpm (last orders 10.30pm)
ID, aracl’ior“ close, Cockbu ("fl SLr"eet. E DIN BU PGH
. t==“\ VIVA MEXICO '
226 5141511'
attention. When he decided to sell Vito's touryears ago his name was part
of the deal, and he is now in the midst of a court case with the current owner over the name of his new restaurant, MrVito's in Charlotte Lane. ‘You know how Italians are.‘ he said, ‘we love each other, we kill each other. . .‘ Let‘s hope it doesn‘t quite come to that, but Vito makes itclearthat Italians abroad feel no compulsion to stick together as a race. Family is whatcounts.
Vito‘s branch of the Crolla clan (distantly related to the Crollas of Valvona & Crolla) has been in Edinburgh since the end of the War. Vito himself came overto Scotland twenty years ago at the age of
1 twenty-five, and fell in love with the
‘1’; 2302:7026!“ cflafiatawzt 53611 \I ii!
A totally different eating experience
fondue with hot oil or stock
30 Sandport Street Leith, Edinburgh Phone 03] 554 2921 for reservation
l holognese. l
l.anarI\' 432“. 'I’his lamilv
place. He was born in the town of Cassino, just south of Rome, into a tamin long established in the restaurant trade. ‘We ate the usual Italian things,’ he remembers, ‘salami, pasta, and lots of Iish. We had meat maybe once a month.‘ Those early eating habits show up in the menu at Mr. Vito's: ‘I sometimes think I would really like to run a fish restaurant,‘ he says, and certainly the ‘Iresh fish of the day’ at Mr Vito‘s is always worth asking about. The restaurant has now been open for four months and has already established a reputation for good, unusual food, a fine all-Italian wine list and an unfussy atmosphere.
Vito feels it is importantthat all his staff are Italian —the head chef is Sicilian and has been with Vito since he started in business, and he has recently brought two waiters to Scotland from the same catering school in Cassino that he himself once attended. In fact the only non-Italians around the place when I visited were his Scottish wife and attractive children, for whom Vito still cooks at weekends. (LB. and 8.8.)
Mr Vito's, 7 Charlotte Lane 220 0176. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6—11pm. (£43 fora four course meal, £34 it you skip the pasta)
RESTAURANT Tue—Sat (evenings only) Table d‘Hote and a la Carte menus BRASSERIE Seven days: Iunchtimes and evenings. Wide range of meals available.
I 7 OLD FISHMARKET CL 055 ' EDINBURGH 031 225 5428 J
the l.isl .‘stis‘ept l3()el WM 55