Panino: George Street, Aberdeen
Published:
AFTER all the fun and frolics of New Year there’s always the grinding reality that we’ve still got a long winter ahead of us.
Snow, ice, howling gales and the general dreich misery of our North-east climate. Brrrrr!
So it’s little wonder that some of us seek out a wee bit of warmth, a reminder of sunnier climes and summer days.
It’s Places like Panino’s that manage to bring a taste of the Med to the grey granite of George Street.
And an authentic taste at that, what with the red checked tablecloths and opera gently playing from the speakers.
Oh, and not to mention the warm, welcoming atmosphere from the guy in charge, Costa.
He was greeting customers like old friends. I suspect many of them were, which speaks volumes for the loyalty that this neighbour-hood-style cafe builds up among Italian food fans.
We kicked off our feast with a plate of antipasto misto (£4.70) – a delightful medley of salamis, Parma ham and olives, all drizzled with garlicky olive oil.
It was so good that there was a bit of competition to get that last bit of really spicy salami.
When it comes to mains, Panino’s works on a specials basis – it’s all up there on the chalkboard, made fresh that day.
I couldn’t resist rigatoni dolcellata (£7.50) with its promise of a cherry tomato sauce, Parma ham and dolcellata cheese.
It was a pungent affair, courtesy of the cheese, but rich, warming and a real reminder of how wonderful proper, fresh Italian food can truly be.
That said, another wee slice of ham wouldn’t have gone amiss.
My beloved’s choice of rigatoni sarcissa (£7.50) was every bit as good as mine.
The base sauce was similar to mine, only with more of a garlic kick. That was aided and abetted by an abundance of Italian sausage – the real stuff mind, full of sweet, meaty flavour and more garlic.
I was only allowed a wee taster from my beloved, who even offered that morsel up with a look that said “mine”.
We rounded off our repast with shares of a home-made tiramisu (£4.20).
This rich, creamy, coffee concoction should be sent to supermarkets so they would abandon their plastic impersonations in despair.
The winter can do its worst now, because I know Panino’s will do its best to offer a reminder that the sun is still out there – somewhere.
