Italian cafe with a global twist

Rating
3

You might know the corner site of this new Italian cafe, for many years the exemplary, fine dining Ducks a la Marche Noir, and then the French restaurant Garrigue. Now it is furnished in Farmhouse kitchen style, with scrubbed vintage wooden tables and chairs.

It is open for breakfast and morning coffee, tea and cakes, light lunches and suppers. Stefano the chef does offer a selection of Italian dishes but the cafe's name, Roamin' Nose infers a wider cuisine, throwing in Pork Schnitzel and very British fish and chips.

My dining companion and I visited for an early supper in December -a chilly night and sadly it was icy cold inside too and the "old school" seats were hard on the bottom. (I found a cushion on a sofa to sit on!).

The ambience at night is like a laid back coffee house; a girl sitting alone at the next table was busy tapping at her laptop all evening, drinking her cappuccino while unfortunately taking up a table which could sit four people.

A bowl of creamy vegetable soup was welcome on the other side of the table, while I sampled a mixed platter of grilled aubergines, peppers, olives and cheesy rice balls as an apetiser. Then a Rustic Tart with courgettes and gorganzola served with salad for him, and Fried sole with salad and potatoes for me.

We sipped a few glasses of Merlot - Corvina, soft and brambley. This is definitely a casual Cafe rather than a Restaurant, offering a small menu of homely dishes from pasta to burgers with daily specials.

Having only been open a few months, it is proving very popular with local residents around Eyre Place and the New Town. I shall return for breakfast sometime soon to try the Roamin' Scrambled eggs!