La Gabbia, Boyd St, Newcastle

Aug 16 2009 by Sunday Sun

The clock ticked on. I don’t want to put you off your scran but She Who Must Be Fed said the gaps between courses helped her “make room” for the next offering.

Yet another starter came – the “primo patti”, which, we were told, was rabbit tagliatelle in a cream and tomato sauce.

Mrs Eats looked startled like a rabbit caught in headlights, and some of the nearby children seemed none too pleased either.

It turns out the chef decides what he fancies cooking on the day, so you never know what to expect each week. There was, however, an alternative for those who didn’t want to eat poor Thumper – a less adventurous ricotta cheese and spinach ravioli in tomato sauce, with rocket.

I plumped for the rabbit, while Mrs E took the safe option. Hers was better though, with nice fat parcels of pasta and just enough sauce. For me, the rabbit didn’t feel right in a pasta dish.

Not feeling overly stuffed, there was still room for the “arrosto” – or course number four.

It was loin of pork with roast potatoes and vegetables. This is the closest you’ll get to British fayre but it’s about half the size of trad pub grub. The crispy spuds with fluffy centres were tasty as anything and the veg was spot on. Nice gravy, too. Finally the “dulce”, with a pick of five or six homemade desserts. Spoilt for choice we halved a tiramasu and a chocolate cheesecake between us. The tiramisu was manna from heaven. Heartily recommended.

The concept of the Italian Sunday lunch is all about having a lazy day just chatting and eating, taking things slowly and enjoying good company.

If you’re the type that gets fidgety when you have to wait more than 10 minutes for anything, or the type who feels you’ve wasted the day if you haven’t ticked off everything on your “to do” list, you’ll hate it.

For those whose marriages are strong enough to survive a four-hour lunch date, I say go for it. But if not, bring a copy of War and Peace!

Oh, and just for the record, lovely as it was, give me my roast beef with all the trimmings any day of the week.

Ratings: 15/20