Restaurant Review: Ponte di Legno, 44 Woodbridge Road, Moseley. Tel: 0121 449 8064.
IT WAS perhaps appropriate that we should choose to eat at an Italian restaurant on Sunday night.
After all, where better to celebrate the news that the loathsome Silvio Berlusconi had been thumped in the face? Sadly, we’d forgotten that Ponte di Legno is unlicensed and so didn’t take with us a bottle of wine to toast the attacker.
Less sadly, the fizzy water we instead drank was no doubt welcomed by my liver, which (like Silvio’s nose) has taken a pounding in the run-up to Christmas.
Here’s a restaurant about which my wife and I have vehemently disagreed – she singing its praises and I taking the opposite view.
Whisper it gently, folks, but I think (for once) she was right.
For the meal we ate there was perfectly acceptable fare for a suburban restaurant.
Nothing exceptional – just simple food based on decent ingredients handled with skill.
Thus the roasted vegetables I ordered as a starter included nicely caramelised strips of courgettes and peppers on a salad that was fresh and nicely dressed.
Lynn enjoyed good quality smoked salmon on top of iceberg lettuce.
The bread that came with her starter – and which I sampled – was excellent.
The menu includes plenty of meat, poultry and fish dishes and there’s a specials board boasting even more.
But I was in a mood for plainer food and chose a pizza after watching the chef in the open plan kitchen deftly shaping the dough.
It was a success for the base itself was beautifully crisp.
The Sicilian topping I chose – aubergine, capers, anchovies, red onions and mozarella – was full of bold flavours and was thoroughly satisfying.
But one thought: the anchovies were incredibly salty and would have benefited from being soaked in water before being used.
Lynn’s main course – a canneloni stuffed with ragu and covered in tomato sauce and a cheesy white sauce – was also well received.
It was sizzling hot – something to be welcomed since we were sitting near the door which, when opened, subjected us to an icy blast.
The tiramisu that I shared with my wife as a dessert was, to be honest, a disappointment for it was stodgy of texture and indistinct of flavour.
But not enough to spoil the evening.
Our bill included a cup of coffee.
* Verdict
How much? £41 for two
Vegetarians? Choices
Child friendly? Yes
Disabled access? Fine
Parking? On street
Go back? Yes
Value: £££
Food, decor, service: ***
* Our Top 5...Italian Restaurants
CIELO
High quality food in stylish surroundings.
6 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham. 0121 632 6882.
BUONISSIMO
A small and friendly place with an unusual menu.
1 Albany Road, Harborne. 0121 426 2444.
STRADA
A chain restaurant but one that delivers quality.
The Mailbox, Birmingham. 0121 643 7279. ICC, Birmingham. 0121 212 2661.
SAN CARLO
A long-established place with a loyal following.
4 Temple Street, Birmingham. 0121 633 0251.
PICCOLINO’S
Occupying what used to be Brasserie Blanc, this is an unfussy place offering quality.
9 Brindleyplace, Birmingham. 0121 634 3055.
