We’ve only recently spotted the Café Piano in the village of Radcliffe-on-Trent (about 5 miles out of the city centre). The café is open all day, and up until 6 pm, a coffeehouse. Tables and chairs spill out into the street, and at this point on Main Street, the pavement is wide enough to bring a continental feel to this otherwise ordinary-looking shop frontage. The downside is that it’s between the video rental shop and local post office, but once inside, it’s clear that the proprietors have made a real effort to make this a decent dining experience.
It is a small restaurant, seating no more than 38 inside, and you are well advised to book if you want to eat later in the week (Thursday through the weekend). At the back of the café is a piano, above which is displayed the restaurant’s wine selection. I’m not sure that the piano is ever played, but it does add a little bit of character to the establishment. "Inoffensive" pipe music is played to assist with the ambience. Tables with comfortable, conventional dining chairs are covered with white cloths with a red paper square on top. Paper cloths in restaurants are a bit of an anathema as far as I’m concerned and don’t help in terms of the "classy" stakes. However, Café Piano had made an effort by offsetting this abhorrence with fresh flowers on each table.
There are tasteful pictures on the wall – linked to the theme of coffee or café life – and subtle lighting to enhance the atmosphere. To be honest, the room was a little too cold for my liking, but I suppose that, with a full house, the body heat would push up the temperature by a few degrees.
This Italian restaurant offers plenty to choose from, with the usual specials being displayed as "blackboard specials." The Bruschetta at £3.45 was a great starter and really provided enough for two. The toasted bread was topped with a tasty assemblage of tomatoes and basil and enough garlic to keep the vampires at bay for a day or two!
The Panzerotti, the main course I opted for, was a couple of delicious pancakes filled with Ricotta cheese and spinach and topped with tomatoes and more cheese. I wish I’d have opted for a side salad as an extra, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Others in our party had fettuccine and tortellini, and these dishes were substantial, more than ample for a growing lad! I had a house red (£2.50 a glass) that was pleasantly fruity and a good accompaniment. I had considered a beer, but there were no pumps, and others looked as if they were being served out of a can – not the best way for a restaurant to serve beer.
The Café Piano has a reasonable vegetarian selection of a good quality. It’s a straightforward restaurant for a no-nonsense night out.