Ever get bored of the same old menu choices at your usual eateries in town? Walk to the very top of Bold Street and try The Italian Club Fish (next door to Tabac).
I’ve been eager to find opportunity to try both this and its sister restaurant The Italian Club for months, and upon hearing Club Fish had recently been nominated for the Gordon Ramsay Best Local Restaurant of the Year, I decided it was time.
A meat lover at heart, it’s rare that I’ll be adventurous enough to pick a fish option from most menus. If you're the same, I guarantee the Italian Club Fish will change your outlook.
Combining Mediterranean and Scottish influences this bizarrely decorated restaurant feels like a seaside fish and chip shop located in the heart of Italy. Sounds weird, but it works.
Proud owner Rosaria Crolla, whose Italian great great grandparents settled in Edinburgh, has decked out the interior with white wooden chairs, with black and white pictures of Italian movie stars adorning the walls. It is the ideal setting for relaxed lunchtime or evening dining, and about as far away from pretentious as you can get whilst serving up delicious food to impress your fellow diners.
While we perused the menu, we decided to nibble on some olives and, my, were they a pleasant surprise! Nearly the size of golf balls and marinated to perfection. Try them!
The menu offers a wide choice of dishes to suit fishy and non-fishy tastes including a meat selection of steak and chicken dishes. However, I regret that vegetarians may struggle to get over excited by the narrow choice of spaghetti in tomato sauce or an aubergine risotto.
But you would be a fool to deny yourself a sensationally cooked fish dish prepared by Milan born head chef Maurtizio Pellegrini.
To start I opted for pan fried scallops presented burger-style betwixt two filo pastry buns on a bed of rocket drizzled in balsamic vinegar and oil – exquisite. My partner chose the new dish ‘Gamberi e calamari Grigliate’, a fresh salad of mixed leaves with spicy, marinated king prawns and calamari. Juicy and lightly spiced, allowing the natural flavours to come through, a succulent and tasty dish.
The menu has recently given revised, staple dishes such as Fish and Chips made with Tuscan olive oil, Lobster Thermidor and the Italian Club Fish Sandwich remain while Pellegrini has created exciting new courses including tagliolini pasta with lobster, cherry tomatoes, chilli and asparagus and a smoked haddock risotto, topped with crispy leeks.
But I‘m a girl who can’t resist some steamy mussels... Presented in a huge pot, the Cozze all Marinara in a creamy white wine sauce served with a quirkily presented porcelain cone of chips left no room for complaint. The Specials board enticed my partner to try Brill for the first time – and it was a fresh, light and sensational fish, served with a choice of two side orders. The lightly battered red peppers and courgettes were a great ‘healthy’ alternative to a bowl of chips. Priced at £18, it was a dish worth savouring.
We greedily rounded off our evening’s culinary delights by sharing the chocolate and almond cake, washed down with a creamy Baileys liqueur coffee – an exceedingly satisfactory end to a unique dining experience.
Rosaria’s venture must be applauded and her staff are impeccably well trained, friendly, and accommodating to customers.
The Italian Club Fish is located at the top of Bold Street, with Italian Club situated further down - which I am now more eager than ever to try out!
For booking enquiries at Italian Club Fish please call: 0151 707 2110.
Post a comment