La Piazzetta, Petersfield
Life on Mars, a cult series set in Britain's 1970s, passes mostly on the food with clothing, hair cuts, cars and street culture grabbing star turns.
But those with long memories of this rather grey era might recall those generic high street Italian restaurants with chianti bottles dripping candle wax, large pepper grinders being propelled around a cheerful room, festooned with red and white check tablecloths.
And the menu? Well, Italian food that their owners thought would suit the British palate, rather than bona fide dishes from bella Piedmonte, Ligura, Toscana or Sicilia.
This is still the case in many an Italian restaurant three decades on, Hammersmith's River Caf, where Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall learnt part of their craft, having surprisingly little influence.
No genuine dishes or ingredients are on offer, only the kind of food of that strike-laden era of Wilson, avocados and lemons still considered delicacies. How times have changed. Or have they?
La Piazzetta, housed in a medieval timber-framed hearth passage building opposite Petersfield's market square (it dates back to 1534) is of the Wilson era persuasion. Although devoid of dripping chianti bottles, minimalism, in the shape of mostly bare walls and tables is its decor, the menu is resolutely retro bar red pepper, chilli and rocket. You can kick off here with two old warhorses, insalata tricolore, that tomato and mozzarella salad or Parma ham and melon, or bianchetti fritti (whitebait with tartare sauce) or gamberoni piccante (prawns with chilli).
Move onto a risotto or pasta, spaghetti marinara or tagliatelle carbonara, dyed in the wool possibilities. There are salads and no less than 10 pizzas too, including our old friends fiorentina (spinach and egg); napolitana (capers, olives, anchovies) and salami.
Or push the boat out (most starters are around 5 - 6, risottos, pastas and pizzas 7 - 9) for a secondi, mains, averaging 14-15, going down the well worn route with pollo dolcelatte (chicken with cheese); filetto al peppe verde (beef fillet with a green peppercorn sauce) or saltimbocca Romana (veal with parma ham and a butter and sage sauce, 13.95).
And the latter my choice for old times' sake. What hadn't emerged in1970's restaurant kitchens was the microwave, the on-view kitchen resorting to this with the meat once it had been browned. Only the diced potatoes hit the pan. And they were wonderful. The meat was tough and flavourless, the sauce a watery salty one with zilch all butter or sage, carrots, beans and cauliflower hard, unseasoned and unloved.
Assured by one of the staff that the tiramisu was homemade I tried it, a synthetic taste leaving me in doubt. The wholly Italian wine list is equally retro with Frascati and Orvieto on the short list, a robust Barbera house red however finding favour.
Service is somewhat restrained if you're a new face, warm if a regular. A pepper grinder does the rounds.
Brits love nostalgia, Life on Mars, Fawlty Towers and Dad's Army part-proof.
But retro Italian food? Fabulous regional Italian food came of age long ago, Petersfield folk are able to handle the genuine article. My bill came to 22.55 not including service.
La Piazzetta, 2 The Square, Petersfield GU23 3HJ
Tel: 01730 260 006.
Open: Seven days a week from noon.
Food: ***
Service: ***
Atmosphere: ***
Disabled access: fine, if a little narrow at entrance for bulky wheelchairs.
How to get there: A3 (M) to Petersfield, following town centre signs and the High Street, La Piazzetta opposite the square along this road. Large car park a short distance away behind Waitrose.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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