THE case of Italian restaurant La Vita has left this old gumshoe feeling uneasy.
I had heard rave reviews about this joint in Bishopbriggs, and with a chain of restaurants around the city including La Vita in George Square, Spuntini on Byres Road and Piccolino e Vino in Newton Mearns, I had high expectations.
Those expectations, however, were quickly lowered when her ladyship received a little bit extra with her starter.
You see, the doll was famished and she decided to go for the La Vita Combination.
The large starter was packed with deep fried mushrooms, creamy mini mozzarella balls, and breaded jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese, all served with crisp salad and pesto mayonnaise.
It sounded good on paper but in reality there was more fried mushrooms on the plate than anticipated and a lone breaded jalapeno pepper did not go down well with Toots. She choose the dish for the jalapeno peppers and expected a few more.
As I dived into my Mozzarella Fritta starter - essentially mozzarella rolled in breadcrumbs with an Italian chunky tomato sauce, her Ladyship let out a huge squeal.
“Oh my God Tec,” she yelped. “What is it?” I demanded to know.
Staying silent she picked up two mushrooms from her plate and attempted to pull them apart - only she couldn’t as they had been deep fried together with a human hair.
With her long red talons on show, she put them on an empty dish at the side and I raised my hand in a bid to get the waitress' attention.
The young girl appeared and I explained what we had found. She took the side dish away, dashed off in a fluster and said she would get the manager.
The manager then appeared and apologised. He also attempted to offer an explanation as to how the hair got into the food.
As he dashed off, I complained: “Not sure that’s how I would have handled that.”
The mains had arrived before we knew it and we had both gone for pasta dishes. Toots insisted on sides of cheesy garlic bread and chips.
My Gnocchi Crema and Funghi was cooked just right and the flavours meshed well together. Toots seem to perk up with the Mia Casa. We washed down the lot with dessert which we shared.
Now let’s talk again about the offending dish. The staff were attentive, and the manager came back saying we would not be charged for the starter. I can’t, however, fathom though why they never took it away and offered a fresh starter.
These things happen but La Vita left me disappointed with how they dealt with it, and my memory of that dining experience will always be the hair.
La Vita
185 to 189 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow
Tel: 0141 772 1333
Food **
Atmosphere ***
Service **
Food
Mozzarella Fritta £5.45
La Vita Combination £5.95 (Not charged)
Gnocchi Crema and Funghi £10.65
Mia Casa Penne £10.25
Garlic bread with Mozzarella £3.95
Fat chips £3.25
Honeycomb Sensation £7.45
Drinks
Large diet Pepsi x2 £3.60 each
Soda water and lime £3.60
Total £51.80
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