There is a table in Pasta Di Piazza that I reckon could be the most romantic in Birmingham. It’s upstairs. immediately on the left, close to the arched windows and brick clad walls, under the gaze of the almost religious stained glass tiles that shine in reds, yellows, and blues. The dark wooden table has purpose and integrity whilst the chairs are rigid and curved at the back to maintain posture. A single red rose adorns the table. It’s timeless. You could be anywhere here; New York, Florence, even better, Birmingham. Nothing can go wrong on this table. You could make someone fall in love with you. You could fix a broken relationship. Naturally I have never sat there, I just like to look over and watch it change with the trajectory of the sun, the light shifting and lifting like a colour chart
I was on my own for lunch. I’d planned to sit downstairs in one of the big arching windows, sipping from a big glass of Chianti Superiore and watching the world drift by, but the rest of the Jewellery Quarter had other plans. It was busy, almost freakishly so for a weekday lunch, meaning lonesome me had to sit towards the back of the room, big glass of Chianti Superiore in hand, watching the tables in front of me. Focaccia arrives, really nice focaccia studded with olives and tomatoes and sent to every table. There’s plenty more if I need it, they say. Then my main picked from a board of specials. Ricotta stuffed ravioli made fresh in the kitchen, lifted with a little lemon in the mix that is needed to cut through the cheesiest of cheese sauces. It’s brash and naughty, rich and filling. I take the focaccia to mop the cheese sauce up. Ask for more focaccia and wipe until the plate is clean.
I order zabaglione for dessert because you never see zabaglione on menus anymore, mainly because zabaglione forces a kitchen to stop and pay total attention to it until it leaves the kitchen hot and frothy. The zabaglione is basically an Instagram food blogger. It’s a pain in the arse for chefs; technically difficult and labour intensive. This was a great version of a classic. Rich, sweet, and full of marsala, it arrived hot and just-stable as the best versions should with savoiardi biscuits for dunking. Again, just like the bread, I ask for more of the biscuits to finish and they arrive. The service for the fifty minutes I was there was excellent.
I have to mention my order. It was deliberate in that I chose the trickier parts of the menu. There are parts of Pasta di Piazza that have little appeal to me, like the carbonara with cream, or the fettuccine with salmon and pesto, dishes that are there to appease the anglicised side of Italian cooking. But there is clearly some talent in the kitchen and I ate well for £35.40. Coupled with a very attractive dining room and a solid wine list, I can see why it is still going strong after thirty years.
8/10
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