Have you ever been so hungry that all you want to do is throw food at your face and eat it all until you explode? Me too… on a daily basis! The other week I had a wonderful apartment stay at The Rotunda for review purposes and on the same night, I also had an invitation to try the menu at Pasta Di Piazza and I was eager to dig in. Let me tell you now, I’ve been several times to this wonderful restaurant and every time, the meal, atmosphere and overall experience has been wonderful. It’s always been hard to critique this place as the portions are huge and the flavours pack a punch. The life of an Italian, eh?

The outside of the building tells a story. The brickwork spurts colourful flowers and plants that dangle from every window pane – a bit like a garden centre! I’ve decided that I desperately want the front of my house to look like this restaurant! I’ve even noticed people stop in the street before and take pictures of the building even if they aren’t eating inside. The cosy restaurant is situated on the corner of St Pauls Square – Jewellery Quarter and serves authentic Italian grub in a very timely manner…

Pasta Di Piazza is the perfect setting for a date night. The decor is seductive and insists on having single red roses planted inconspicuously in white vases on every table. Bare brickwork is an favourite decor tip of mine and the relaxed interior compliments the setting perfectly. The restaurant recently celebrated its 21^st anniversary and has expanded its upstairs section, completely changing a residential flat into a beautiful dining area. Upon arrival we were greeted by a gleaming waitress who lead us to a large table near the flowery window. As we ordered some red wine (Josh insisted on a whole bottle!), some bread and olives to start, I knew I was going to struggle picking my meal as it all sounded so tasty!

Starters

The menu is split into sections: Antipasti, Pizza, Pasta, Platters, Insalata (salads) and Dolci (Desserts). Starters range from goats cheese dishes, to pancakes, calarami to fish. Diners are truly spoiled by the menu and there is something for everyone. I opted for the Pate Di Anatra – Smooth duck and port pate, crispy toasted ciabatta and balsamic onion. (£5.95). I can’t believe this was a starter, the portions were massive! My bread was lightly toasted and 3 generous slabs of creamy pate were sectioned on the side of my plate. I’m a fairly slow eater but I devoured the lot within a few minutes and offered Josh a few servings too!

I don’t know how my camera always makes food look so photogenic. I could take a photo of a potato and still make it look sexy. For starters, Josh opted for some simple Tomato Bruschetta – he’s been obsessed with it every since our blogger trip to Tuscany and he insists on eating it whenever we visit an Italian restaurant. The dish is simply three large pieces of bruschetta, covered in thick mozzarella and tomato. I would go as far to say that eating this simple dish is sometimes more appetising than eating a pizza – there, I said it!

Mains

Let’s just take a minute to appreciate how sexy this dish looks. Service was extremely quick considering nearly every table in the restaurant was full by 7:30pm. My Linguine Alla Marinara consisted of marinated seafood mix with olive oil and herbs cooked with Neapolitan sauce, king prawns and garlic with linguine (£14.50). I’ve tried this dish once before and I fancied it so much I ordered it again. The plate just screams food porn to me. Tender pieces of mussel and the fresh hint of tomato and herb with a sprinkle of parmasan = ultimate food goals. If you ever visit Pasta Di Piazza, I recommend this dish, the picture says it all.

Pizza options range from Italian sausage to mixed seafood, grilled BBQ, ham, spinach, mozzarella and plenty more, costing around £11 each. The dough is crispy but tender enough to allow the meats and cheese to succulently melt and ooze on top. Josh’s pizza was huge and came on a massive wooden board – although we wouldn’t have disagreed if it came on a normal plate! This pizza was named the Pizza Estate (£10.50) – Tomato, mushroom, spinach, salami, olives, boiled egg and mozzarella… NOMS!

Dessert

My eyes were bigger than my belly and I was feeling pretty full after our mains, but there is ALWAYS room for dessert isn’t there? I genuinely think people have two stomachs, one especially for sweet treats that never gets tired. 10 minutes after our plates were cleared, my gelati arrived. I didn’t fancy anything too heavy, especially after eating so much seafood so I asked for some ice cream. The presentations is simplistic, a clear glass with an added wafer on top for decoration. You can choose three scoops from their Italian ice creams; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and dairy pistachio. (£4.95) The ice cream was very rich and creamy, better than the average cream, I’d like to think it was restaurant made!

The whole meal was fantastic up until this point. Zabaglione is a traditional Italian dessert made of Marsala wine, sugar & egg yolks (£5.95). I don’t usually mind strange tasting puddings but this took it to another extreme. It was like eating a bonfire. I couldn’t quite understand what was happening but my mouth didn’t enjoy this at all and Josh ended up leaving half of it. I pulled the same face I did when sucking on a lemon, it was way too overpowering. Overall, the meal and service was fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting if you enjoy tasty food at reasonable prices. Perfect for a date night, why not book yourself in? To see the full menu and for more information and contact details, visit their website PastaDiPiazza.com. 

11 Brook St, Birmingham B3 1SA

Disclosure: I was invited to Pasta Di Piazza to try their menu options with complimentary meals, drinks and puddings with a guest. All opinions are 100% honest and are my own.