Eating out: Topolinos, 285 Sauchiehall Street

Oct 30 2008 Fraser Wilson

BIZARRE hardly begins to describe a recent encounter with the boss at Topolinos.

Happily working our way through the second course of a fantastic meal, my partner and I, along with the other diners, were asked, or warned, that the amiable restaurateur wanted to loosen his vocal chords.

A little perplexed, we downed cutlery as the larger-than-life character exploded into his version of the Neapolitan classic 'O Sole Mio'.

It was almost too ridiculous to be true !

This isn't a criticism of the place or the boss may I add - some would love the fact he took the time to entertain them personally.

And considering the food was pretty damn good, there is little reason to have a go at the man.

We stumbled upon the hidden gem that is Topolinos when in search of a pre-theatre special nearby the King's Theatre.

Enticed by a menu which looked excellent value, we made our way down the stairs and into the restaurant located under another Italian venue Paperinos.

The bright dining room is well assembled to cater for both large groups and also couples looking for a little intimacy and we were ushered to a small table in the far corner overlooking a contemporary bar.

The pre-theatre menu stands head and shoulders above the majority I have experienced in the city centre.

For £7.95 diners can enjoy two courses which don't scrimp on the servings and provide plenty of taste to satisfy the early birds.

We chose Pate della Casa and Funghi Farciti to kick-start the meal. The homemade pate on toasted Italian bread was strong and lacked nothing in bite while the mushrooms, stuffed with mixed vegetables and deep fried, were light and not in the slightest bit greasy - until I dipped them in the deliciously spicy Napoli sauce.

The choice for main courses is restricted to pastas - arrabiata, bolognese, carbonara or pesto - unless you want to pay a small supplement to the cost.

We decided to do just that and for an extra £1.50 my partner enjoyed a succulent fillet of salmon topped with grain mustard and served with skinny fries.

The chunk of pink fish broke into perfect flakes and, I was assured, tasted great.

I paid a £2.50 supplement for Bistecca diManzo - a four ounce rib eye steak with pepper sauce and fries. While not breaking any gastronomic records for its size, the cut of meat only encouraged me to enjoy every bite of what was, again, a perfectly cooked meal accompanied by a hot pepper sauce.

The restauranter was no Pavarotti, but for a grand total of £26.35 - which also included two coffees (£1 each), a pint of Tennents lager (£2.95) and a small bottle of mineral water (£1.50) - his restaurant proved fantastic value.