ITALIAN
list.co.uk
GLASGOW
Paesano Pizza 94 Miller Street, Merchant City, 0141 258 5565, paesanopizza.co.uk | £13 (lunch) / £13 (dinner)
No matter what night of the week you choose to dine at Peasano, it will most likely be buzzing as long large tables, akin to a German beer hall, pack in the crowds, with energetic chat echoing around the cavernous space. Nothing fancy here – paper menus showcase little over a half-dozen simple, honest pizzas using authentic imported Italian ingredients along with a small offering of sides. The crust is crisp while the base is light thanks to the use of caputo ‘00’ flour from Naples, proofed for 48 hours then cooked for literally seconds in their 500 centigrade wood-fired oven. Most start with a tomato sugo, using stranese tomatoes and finish with fior di latte cheese, both from Campania, all are drizzled with extra virgin olive oil from Abruzzo. Two specials are chalked on the blackboard each day and may include porchetta with sage or fresh king prawns and anchovies. Leave room to try their retro ice-cream, served with a choice of strawberry or chocolate sauce as a 99 with a flake or in an oyster. Tables are turned very quickly but even so, expect to queue as no bookings are taken. + Authentic pizza in a bustling atmosphere - Communal seating not suited to all tastes
Panevino 1075 Argyle Street, West End, 0141 221 1136, panevino.co.uk | Closed Mon | £15 (set lunch) / £19 (dinner)
Now in the hands of sisters Gabriella and Rosaria Crolla of The Italian Club group of restaurants in Liverpool, Panevino
has maintained its unique appeal as a lively and chic café and enoteca in the face of stiff competition from a host of cuisines in surrounding Finnieston. At the heart of the restaurant the bar area has a joyful buzz with diners blithely sipping good Italian wine and nibbling cut-to-order antipasto platters, all while eyeing up shelves stacked with imported goodies from behind the marble counter. Quality of ingredients is apparent in carefully prepared dishes, and unusually for Italian restaurants in Glasgow, Panevino make their own Italian sausage – delicately spiced and exceedingly juicy in their salsiccia e fagioli. Osso buco is undoubtedly – as their website claims – roasted for eight hours, and the rendered down fat makes for a rich and bold sauce. A thoughtful selection of desserts exceed your standard tiramisù and choice of gelato, and their gorgeous pear cannelloni dish presented in a hot skillet with slightly savoury pistachio icecream melting into intensely sweet and rich caramel sauce is a delight. + Lively atmosphere - Pushed for space
✱ La Parmigiana 447 Great Western Road, West End, 0141 334 0686, laparmigiana.co.uk | £18 (set lunch) / £33 (dinner)
Frequently featuring in Michelin, Good Food and AA restaurant guides, La Parmigiana has been at the forefront of Italian fine dining for nearly 40 years – still owned and managed by the Giovanazzi family. The small dining space, with little over a dozen tables, provides an intimate atmosphere. White linen tablecloths, sparkling glassware and thick red carpet feels a little dated though still charming nonetheless. The menu is concise and leans towards a French style of cooking with refined touches and intricate sauces. Lobster ravioli is made daily, arriving full of quality seafood packed into wafer thin pasta resting on rich seafood style bisque. The handful of mains are mostly meaty with a single fish and pasta offering. Try the pheasant – a plump breast pan-fried in butter, is rich and soft while sweet confit leg is stuffed inside fresh cannelloni laced with Italian herbs and a hint of parmesan, red wine reduction adding a deep savoury note to the finish. A popular choice for a celebration, or simply a treat to yourself. + Beautiful Italian dishes in a charming dining room along with great service - Chips have no place on a menu like this
Piccolo Mondo 344 Argyle Street, City Centre, 0141 248 2481, piccolomondo.co.uk | Closed Sun | £21.50 (set lunch) / £21 (dinner)
Having opened the original Piccolo Mondo, meaning small world, in Renfrew circa 1974, the Pierotti Brothers have been serving traditional Italian food to diners for over 40 years. Aiming at the higher end of the market, the dining room is suitably plush with ornate furnishings bathed in gold and red, intricate murals adorn the walls while elegant chandeliers allow the vast space to feel less cavernous. Try the ‘celebration menu’ – it includes a cocktail to start, a bottle of wine to share, three courses and a liqueur to finish – excellent value for money. From this menu, salsiccia con fagioli starts the meal with a Tuscan feel, chunks of meaty sausage laced with fennel and spice combine with a rich tomato sauce full of garlic and sage, borlotti beans add further texture and body to the dish. Seafood risotto, so often a disappointment is light and creamy, the rice holding its bite while king and tiger prawns are sweet and soft, a kick of brandy adding a luxurious touch. Both outfits offer a similar formula making
The Italian Caffè (page 148): stylish small plates and an extensive wine list
them a good bet for city slickers and those further afield. + Great value menus served in chic surroundings - Roast potatoes served beside pasta?
NEW Pizza Punks 90 St Vincent Street, City Centre, 0141 237 8020, pizzapunks.co.uk | £14 (lunch) / £14 (dinner)
Relative newcomer to the burgeoning pizza restaurant boom in Glasgow is Pizza Punks, and, as its name suggests, it’s aimed at groups of young adults and families hoping for a dose of good fun along with their artisanal wood-fired pizza and locally brewed craft beer. The cavernous, heavily styled interior feels a little corporate, but there’s a distinct buzz about the place with the retro punk tunes and bustling open kitchen where white aproned chefs can be seen pulling the sourdough pizza bases. Create your own (‘punk up your pizza’), choosing from an extensive list split into protein, cheese and veg, or opt for one of theirs from the ‘St Vincent Street loves’ section. An indulgent white pizza of smoky scarmoza cheese, cured meats, chunks of lemon thyme chicken with spring onions and cream is reminiscent of a particularly delicious baked pasta dish, and is moreish to the last bite. In keeping with the Italian-American theme are the photogenic milkshakes with extravagant decorations of sweets, cake and lashings of whipped cream. And with affordable Italian house wines on tap, you can happily wash it all down with another glass of sangiovese. + Menu a definite ice-breaker - Sharing boards too large between two
NEW Pizza West 2 Partick Bridge Street, West End, 0141 237 2950, pizzawest.co.uk | £5 (any pizza Mon-Fri) (set lunch) / £11 (dinner)
In the revamped space once occupied by the Volcano nightclub of Trainspotting fame, Pizza West offers a well crafted menu of pizzas, starters and desserts. Sister enterprise the Great Western Sandwich Co. has gained a reputation for experimental and exciting fillings and at Pizza West the toppings extend this tradition with delights such as the Volcano with nduja, pickled peppers and fresh chillis or Artfunkel with artichoke, olives and rocket. The topping sauce with its overtones of sundried tomato and garlic is a triumph. The hand-stretched pizza base fired in the Volcano oven is simultaneously soft and crusty as it should be. Potentially commonplace starters and sides are surprisingly generous – the chunky cumin-infused meatballs in a dense tomato sauce or the crusty, creamy whole buffalo mozzarella salad with mixed leaves stand out and even the spicy chicken wings are succulent, while a boozy affogato covers the sweet spot with aplomb. The seven-days-a-week midnight bar concocts mouth-puckering negronis alongside a range of easy-drinking wines by the glass or bottle as well as popular international beers. + Excellent value lunch deal – £5 all pizzas - Olives rather small and bitter
Ristorante Teatro 61 Elmbank Street, City Centre, 0141 332 3565, teatrorestaurant.co.uk | £5 (set lunch) / £16 (dinner)
150 The List Eating & Drinking Guide
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11/04/2017 15:55