Andrew's tour of the North West A Liverpudlian lunch

Date Published:

30/06/2008

I arrived in Liverpool to a Mersey monsoon, torrential rain bouncing a foot high off the pavement. This somewhat limited gastronomic explorations, and so, with lunchtime fast approaching I sought shelter in a chanced upon café called The Italian Club on Bold Street

Owner, Rosaria Crolla, was presiding over her bustling enterprise ensuring that office workers, shoppers and tourists were drying off and warming up with some tasty Italian food. Although The Italian Club offers sandwiches and paninis and such, it also does daily specials prepared fresh each morning. I opted for a lasagne, green salad, bread and wine, then a portion of tiramisu for dessert – delicious.

Italy - Scotland - Liverpool

Afterwards I chatted to Rosaria. I wanted to know how an Italian girl born in Scotland ends up in Liverpool running a café. Rosaria explains she's from a long line of chefs and cooks, reminding me that Scotland is home to a huge Italian community that's been part of urban Scottish life for well over a century. The Crolla family emigrated there in the 1960s. The family also run another much loved Italian restaurant in Liverpool on Duke Street, called Il Forno.

Decorating the walls of the café are historical portraits. This isn't just Italian-style decor though, it's Rosaria's family tree. "That's my great grandparents," she says before talking me through the rest. I'm getting the sense that family is a big part of this operation.

A taste of tradition

We move on to the food. Rosaria's boyfriend, Maurizio Pellegrini, is the head chef, and divides his time between the Italian Club and Il Forno round the corner. "You'll notice that our lasagne is quite dry," she says, and I did, hence the ordering of the bread to mop up the expected sauce. "This is the traditional way to have it; we try to keep things how they would be in Italy. So we have coffee in the right sized cup." No grande-double-frappacino with squirty cream here. There's also a good range of salads and antipasti starters. What's more, they also offer a deli service and you can buy top Italian produce to take home.

I nurse the last of the glass of red and ponder the joy that is a good lunch, prompt efficient service and well priced, ultimately enjoyable food. It's great to see that the people of Liverpool - the European city of Culture, remember - take time to sit down and eat a proper lunch too, just like they do in Italy.

Fancy trying the Italian Club's meatball lasagne? Have a go at Nonna Delizia's recipe.

Is there a great Italian in your neighbourhood? If so why not get it on the map.