Grossi Florentino Cellar Bar

After cocktails at Madame Brussels, I was keen to find some good comfort food. A conversation on Friday with one of my contractors had piqued my interest in going to the Cellar Bar so whilst in the area it made sense to call in. It wasn't too cold an evening but there were some scattered showers and if the wind picked up and blew the rain, it wasn't pleasant so when we were told that a table inside would take at least 30 minutes if not more, we had a bit of a dilemma.

We decided to mull over the dilemma at an outside table taking advantage of a dry spell in between showers. We explained to the waiter that we wanted a table inside eventually but for now would have a drink. He seemed amenable to this and friendly enough. Ten minutes later we were joined by our new friends, Claire and Martyn and they weren't sure if they wer going to join us for food but would certainly have a drink. Manchester United were playing Blackburn later that night and Martyn wanted to get back to watch it. The waiter was unphased by the additional guests and drinks were soon served.

After a bit of chit chat and some browsing of the menu, plujs some football banter from the waiter as well as a tip that the game would be shown at a bar 2 minutes away, the Worthingtons decided to stay for food and 4 main courses were ordered and a salad. We decided to brave the elements and risk the rain and lucky for us, it remained dry.

Claire had cannelloni, Martyn ordered the lasagne, Steve went for spaghetti bolognese and I went for the smoked chicken, peas and cream penne. I was a little hesitant about my dish for fear that the cream would be too rich and was torn between this one and the buccatini amatriciana which was tomato based with chilli and pancetta but the friendly waiter (not the football fan) convinced me the smoked chicken was the way to go. Steve and I also shared a prosciutto, pear and mozzarella salad.

The pasta was soon served and the table fell silent. My pasta dish was delicious. The pasta was al dente and the creaminess was just rich enough to be tasty but not overly so. Portion size isn't huge but that means there's room for dessert. I think general concensus was that for the price the food was good enough. Steve's comment was that his spag bol was cooked well but lacked a bit of depth and richness but for $16 it was pleasant enough. I think Martyn felt the same about his lasagne.

Claire and Martyn left after the main course to rush back in time for the football. The prompt arrival of the food combined with some speedy eating skills meant they could get back in time and didn't need to stay in the city to watch it. Steve and I decided to prolong the outdoor eating experience with dessert.

Steve went for lemon tart and I had tiramisu. The lemon tart was bit sweeter than I like and the pastry on the bottom wasn't cooked through; probably because of the thick tart filling. However Steve really enjoyed it and said the pastry got better and the crust was really good. Typical that I dig in and get the piece that isn't done! The tiramisu was lovely; light and creamy and just a good end to a decent meal.

The Cellar Bar is a good place for comfort food if in the area. As long as it is consistent, and generally the reviews indicate that it is, then it's a reliable choice. Sitting outside would be very pleasant on a dry evening perhaps a few degrees warmer than when we were there.