In Praise of Paperino’s

In Praise of Paperino’s

December 1, 2011, 05:21
Filed under: Scotland | Tags: Glasgow, Glasgow restaurants, Italian restaurant, Jenning's Brewery, Paperino's, Paperino's Byres Road, Paperino's West End, Peroni

I have just had a very enjoyable fortnight holiday in which my taste buds have been well indulged with a tour of Jenning’s Brewery in Cockermouth, a chocolate making workshop in Manchester, and the whole rounded off with two meals in Paperino’s on Byres Road.

Our family likes Paperino’s, sadly we cannot afford to go as often as we would like, but we have many happy memories of the restaurant. Neelam and I took our daughter and first baby granddaughter for lunch a few summers back, Paperino’s was very accommodating and had no problem with my daughter feeding her baby her own baby food. For desert my daughter had lemon sorbet – always good – and decided to see if Rhiannon would like it; we had to laugh as she would take a mouthful, screw up her face at the sweet bitterness, and then immediately open her mouth for more.

A couple of years ago my in-laws were wondering how to celebrate Neelam’s fiftieth birthday and had several ideas, but Neelam suggested we went to Paperino’s. I think there were about eighteen of us, and we were well looked after by a staff who entered into the spirit of the occasion.

Last Friday evening we enjoyed another lovely meal. When we were ordering our meal my wife wanted a side salad, and asked about the salads on the menu while remarking that the salad she liked best – Insalata Siciliana – was not on the menu; our waitress, Penny, said that she too liked it and offered to see if the chef would make one if he had the ingredients. Neelam got her salad, I am pleased to say, but I am not surprised, it’s the sort of service one expects in Paperino’s. I enjoyed a starter of deep fried mozarella sticks followed by an excellent pumpkin risotto, washed down by draught Peroni – very refreshing – and rounded off with an espresso and a grappa. Very nice!

We returned again for lunch on Sunday, this time for pizzas. Eating Sunday lunch in Paperino’s is a very different experience from dining in the evening. It is a family time and there were many families with young children in the restaurant. Paperino’s has high chairs and baby changing facilities, they welcome children and it is a lovely place for a family lunch, perhaps even to introduce children to restaurant dining.

Like many Italian restaurants Paperino’s has plenty of dishes suitable for vegetarians like us and a wide range of meat and fish dishes upon which I cannot comment, but the meat eaters in the family seem happy with them. Paperino’s excellent food is, for me, only a part of its attraction; background music remains in the background, there is enough light to appreciate one’s plate but not enough to dazzle. Above all Paperino’s has a great atmosphere and friendly service, the staff always seem willing to make an extra effort; even if I could afford to eat there every day, I suspect every visit to Paperino’s would feel like a treat.

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