Dinner / £££ / 9/10

Finally, after several visits I decided to have an official ‘review visit’ to La Storia, I go about once a year so this was definitely overdue. Locally it is known as a fantastic Italian but for those further afield La Storia is a small independent just next to the cricket ground. A lot of people I know LOVE this place but my previous visits have always been tinged with annoyance (crap potatoes on a Sunday roast, my mother in law ordered a pasta dish with blueberries that looked vile). But all these people that love it – they probably had a meal a bit more like the one I had for this review.

Arriving for our reservation (booking is required) the two dining rooms were full and the host was warm, funny and attentive when showing us to our table. We were hidden behind the bar next to the sundries they sell (olives/pasta etc) and had a great view of the whole restaurant. The service at La Storia deserves a mention at this point, the staff there are VERY efficient and look like they are having a good time – you can’t really pay for that kind of energy and it is contagious. I noticed while reviewing the menu that one of the starters came with blackberry gel, what is the obsession with putting berries where they shouldn’t be? We were delivered water and then our waiter introduced himself and before I knew what was happening our food was ordered, our drinks had been delivered and all our menus whisked away. This is not a criticism – the ‘dance’ of service is fast paced but that suits us.

Me and The Northerner shared starters of Olives and Roasted Peppers, 2 big parties came into the restaurant as our food was delivered and it was at capacity from then until we left at nearly 22:00. The olives had some superfluous dried herbs sprinkled on top of them which was a shame as they were delicious on their own, the ones underneath that had managed to avoid the sprinkle being far better.

The stuffed pepper was sublime – the taste of mediterranean vegetables expertly cooked was hefty and warming. They were soft and giving but not sloppy and charred, the generous amount of cheese and focaccia made a very simple dish feel more substantial and worth the (nearly £10) cost.

The pepper dish set my expectations high for the main course and I was not let down. I ordered the Halibut despite my hatred of crushed new potatoes and it was amazing. It didn’t look like the most attractive dish of food I had eaten in a long time (the sauce resembling a canteen soup from my days working in an office) but it was certainly the tastiest. Now, for complete transparency this dish was £33 pounds, but Halibut is not cheap and the portion was very generous. The fish was cooked well – flaking under the pressure of a knife and no cotton wool-iness that sometimes gives away it has gone over. The crushed new potatoes had been made into a disc and fried, turning an element of the dish I thought I would ignore into a welcome addition. There wasn’t a chewy, fibrous potato skin in sight. The nut butter balanced the dish beautifully and added more richness, which is all I wanted on a cold, dark night.

As I looked over to The Northerner (who was by this point tucking into his Lasagne) my heart dropped, he was chewing really slowly and on closer inspection I saw a mushroom poking out the lasagne. Anyone that has read a few of my reviews will know he’s not a fussy person but he will not tolerate any kind of funghi. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed. Perhaps he might agree the mushroom added an earthiness the dish needed. No. His face fell and we decided to wait for the courtesy check (which was only 2-3 mouthfuls after the food was delivered) and get him something different.

The Northerner explained to the waiter his hatred of mushrooms and the waiter started apologising profusely, we tried to reassure. This wasn’t their fault at all but could he get another pasta dish, whatever was quickest. ‘Of course’ said the waiter and within 5 minutes a new dish was delivered. It was the special from the blackboard and we both ended up finishing at the same time. The Northerner had also ordered a side of potatoes with cheese and bacon which he was too full to finish.

Despite both of us being full we soldiered on with Tiramisu for pudding. Again any followers will know it is one of my favourite desserts as long as it isn’t messed about with too much. I had a tiramisu before at La Storia and they delivered it in a kilner jar with all kinds of random things on top of it like a Hungry Horse Sundae. Ordering it again was my version of ‘risk taking’.

This time the tiramisu was for grown ups and presented in the way god intended. On a plate, without the faff. I was beaming and it was glorious, the best tiramisu I have had in Nottingham restaurant.

I can now join the hordes of people that love La Storia and nod in agreement as they sing it’s praises. The tiramisu means I might even order something a bit more ‘out there’ next time and be pleasantly surprised. Not blueberries in pasta though, I’m not insane.