Since The Northerner and I moved in together (about 18 months ago now) we promised each other that we would go out and try some more of the wonderful restaurants on our doorstep. The Northerner adores pasta, it’s his favourite food; so naturally Pasta di Piazza was always on the list of places to try.
Located just of St. Paul’s Square in the up and coming Jewellery Quarter district, Pasta di Piazza is a hidden gem in a city full of restaurants. From the outside, the restaurant immediately gives you a piece of Italy – exposed bricks and flowers hanging from every window possible. It immediately feels warm and comforting which is an excellent preview for what’s inside.
Pasta di Piazza
We sat in the upstairs section – an addition the restaurant of less than a year (it use to be a flat) right next to a beautiful stained glass window. For a Saturday it was quiet but then again, we were eating at bang on 6pm – not exactly the hustle and bustle of a Saturday dinner service.
It is amusing watching The Northerner be faced with choosing a pasta dish from an extensive menu in an Italian restaurant. He loves pasta in every shape and form and takes his decision making incredibly seriously. Pasta di Piazza was no different and it took him quite a while to decide on his choices.
While Adam is all about the pasta, I am all about the prawns so to start, I opted for the Gamberetti Marinara – prawns in tomato sauce, garlic, parsley and chilli. My prawns were a good size and were presented in a soup like tomato sauce full of flavour. The Northerner went (as predicted) for the ‘Stuffed Mushroom’ which consisted of mushroom cups filled with butter, garlic, white wine and parmesan, served with mayonnaise. He was incredibly happy with the flavour and after stealing a bite I can confirm they were juicy and flavoursome.
On to mains and again predictably, I stuck with prawns. I use the opportunity of going out to an Italian restaurant to load up because let’s be honest, the Italian’s just get seafood right! Don’t worry though, I mixed it up with some chicken added in. The Linguine Con Gamberoni E Pollo was tasty, filling and full of flavour. The tomato sauce had a subtle kick to it – probably from the hit of chillies they added. There were heaps of linguine on my plate and they hadn’t been stingy with the prawns either. Adam opted for the Penne Annabella which came in a huge pot like plate (does that even make sense?) Marinated chicken with bacon, peppers and blue cheese sauce served with penne pasta. The blue cheese sauce wasn’t overpowering and you could still get a flavour for all the ingredients of the dish.
There’s always room for dessert (well for me there is anyway…) We kept it simple with dessert and shared some gelati… because you can’t go to an Italian restaurant and not sample it right? You get three scoops so of course we opted for vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. It was simple, but lovely – just how the best gelati is.
Overall we really enjoyed our Saturday night at Pasta di Piazza. It is a beautiful gem in the Birmingham culinary scene and I’d argue the best Italian food we’ve had in the city. Reasonable priced, check. Great Location, check. Check out their website for a more in-depth look at their menu www.pastadipiazza.com
Liked this review? Why not check out my review of Rofuto Birmingham.
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