Drink your glass of Vino, and when you’ve had your plate of Scallopino,
make them play the Piccolino, the catchy Piccolino.
Lyrics to The Piccolino, Irving Berlin from 1935’s Top Hat
As Strictly-mania reaches fever point ahead of the coming weekend’s final, my friend Louise and I recently had a night of tripping the light fantastic when we went along to see Top Hat at The Playhouse. Tom Chambers did his best to fill Fred Astaire’s sizeable tap-shoes, and what he lacked for in vocals and dancing, he more than made up for with charm. The production was a glorious technicolour glamour -fest. The live orchestra, the chorus girls, and top hats, white ties and tails kept us little vintage-lovers more than happy.
Before heading along though, we stopped in to Taste of Italy, which is the little corner spot at Baxter’s Place. You might remember it from ‘the olden days’ as The Bronx Diner, what used to be the home of Edinburgh’s best jam doughnuts, in my 12year-old mind’s eye, anyway. These days, it’s had a proper spruce up and is part of Tony Crolla’s stable of Italian eateries.
Whilst by no means as gourmet as some of its sister establishments (Divino Enoteca, this means you!) , I was absolutely amazed at how well we ate for not much more than £10 a head including a drink each. The interior is a bright, bold mix of chrome, and Italian-esque hues of green, red and white.
We started with a wee plate of antipasti to share, some Parma ham, salami, olives, brilliant tangy little pickled onions and cornichons, and slightly rubbery mozzarella. Again, whilst probably at the supermarket rather than top end end of quality, the individual components were fresh and I think the dish was little more than £6.
For main course, we shared a beazer of a pizza £7ish, and liberally dressed with artichokes,aubergines and peppers. A good standard of stone-baked crispy base made this the hit of the night. The other dish was one of the day’s specials, and it was so close to being great! Gnocchi with leek, gorgonzola and lardons. Gnocchi are such a great winter warmer , and this dish with its creamy sauce had the makings of perfection. Sadly, though, far too much undercooked garlic left it a little unpalatable. Shame! I think it was a bit of bad luck, as I really was impressed with the cooking otherwise.
With a glass of house white, and a soft drink, the bill was just over £21 -amazingly good value, and it set us up nicely for the show. This place is a great option for pre-theatre. Now, where did I leave that feathery frock…?
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