Happy Birthday To Me. Part Two: Gusto Italiano

BLOG UPDATE - GUSTO ITALIANO IS NOW GUSTO ON NORFOLK ROW. IT'S A LITTLE MORE FORMAL NOW AND IT'S OPEN IN THE EVENINGS TOO.

I love, love, love Italy. I have been lucky enough to go to Venice and Rome and I desperately want to go back and see more of this fantastic country. I love the culture, the people, the weather, the chilled out atmosphere and, of course, I love the food.

I love Gusto Italiano, especially as it serves coffee and wine! Gav loves this place because every so often someone will slip in a 'grazie' and as he leaves he will call out 'ciao'. He is very good at learning the odd phrase and when we go away he always makes an effort with the locals. I, on the other hand, am too shy!

We ordered two large glasses of Nero d'Avola, a gorgeous Sicilian red. They still had food available and there was a decent range of hot and cold foods, but we had already eaten so we just went for some olives which was a shame as the food looked very tempting indeed!

The wine was served in enormous, yet delicate and elegant wine glasses and the olives were green, fat and juicy. It was reasonably quiet and we sat, sipping our wine, people watching as customers, family members and Italian friends pop in and out.

The wine was lovely and warming. Once finished, Gav reminded me of the mini croissant pastries that he had spotted on the counter and we decided to have one each with an espresso. We have had these before, in Italy, but I cannot remember what they are called, so apologies for that! They are essentially tiny croissants filled with a sweet creamy custard. They are very sweet, so one is enough.

I will make an effort to eat here soon and let you know how the food is. In the meantime, bear this place in mind. It's great for an afternoon vino, as it is far from just a cafe and it has lots more character than the awful chains!

They don't seem to have a website and I can't find them on Facebook, so here is a link to their location.