THE clock was ticking and the minutes were winding down. Then: BOOM! It was 5pm.

I’d decided to take an early cut since it was Friday.

The Moll was delighted as I’d been spending a bit too long in Tec Towers recently.

“Finally, we can enjoy some quality time together, Tec,” she cooed as I slammed the Buick into gear.

It was a fine Friday evening with some welcome sun after a week of rain storms. Toots and I were craving comfort. And wine.

We both had the same thoughts. “Tec, can we go Italiano?” she asked. “Bingo,” I replied.

We parked up at a side of town we hadn’t ventured to for a while. The sandstone tenements sure looked stunning in the late afternoon sun, much like my missus.

We were in the Saltmarket and heading to an old favourite we hadn’t been to in many moons.

“Sometimes it’s good to re-visit the past,” said Toots. I couldn’t agree more. We headed in to Trattoria Gia and immediately felt comfortable.

The thatched roof and checked tablecloths felt like we were on holiday and the laughter in the restaurant made us smile.

Toots and I were shown to our seats, already giggling like school kids.

The waitress gave us menus and was more than happy to chat to us. We enjoyed hearing about the history of the wee place, widely regarded as a gem in Glasgow’s dining scene.

First things first, Toots said. “Can we have a bottle of house red?”

It came swiftly and, boy, it did not disappoint.

The weeks’ worries were melting away as we sunk into our seats.

The menu was traditional – lots of pasta, fish and meat - but that’s what we were after.

Given the warm weather a fruit cocktail caught my eye. Pardon my English, I mean to say the Melone Con Frutta.

The Moll picked the Funghi Ripieni - mushrooms packed with ham, cheese and onions with a side of garlic mayo.

We tucked in quickly when our starters arrived.

My dish was fresh with mouthwatering berries and the melon melted in my mouth. I savoured the coulis.

Toots gobbled down her mushrooms and licked the plate clean. She was sure hungry.

The waitress was up for some banter and joked it was from the supermarket’s posh range.

I appreciated the light relief after a long week at the coal face.

As we sat sipping our vino, smells wafted from the kitchen. Nothing beats old fashioned Italian food, we thought.

Toots was getting louder by the minute as the wine went to her head. By this point the restaurant was beginning to empty.

It’s a shame it wasn’t busier because the food was a cut above other Italians in town.

I saw our next plates come with steam floating off them from the kitchen.

Our host offered us parmesan and black pepper and said: “Buon appetito!”

I had plumped for Linquine Al Salmone, a rich dish of pasta cooked in cream, smoked salmon and flambéed with vodka.

“Mmm,” I said through mouthfuls of delicious pasta. This was one of the best dishes I’d tried in a long time.

Across the table Toots was similarly quiet – unlike her, of course. She was enjoying her lasagne, an old favourite that never goes out of fashion.

The red wine was the perfect accompaniment to our Trattoria dishes.

We savoured our food and enjoyed every last mouthful. We were too full to try a desert but we were assured they’re some of the best in town.

Toots and I kicked back with our wine but we became aware that we were the only customers left.

It was slightly off-putting when they turned the music off as if they’d prefer us to leave. It was just after 9pm and we were still enjoying our Friday night out. But they were nothing but polite.

This was an Italian we’ll return to soon. I hope other Glaswegians get to Gia pronto as this is one gem the city should never lose.

Trattoria Gia, 17 King St, Glasgow, 0141 552 7411

FOOD 4/4

ATMOSPHERE 2/4

SERVICE 4/4

VALUE 3/4

STARTERS

Melone Con Fruitta £4.95

Funghi Ripieni £4.95

MAINS

Linguine Con Salmone £8.95

Pasticcio Di Lasagne £8.50

House red £17.50

TOTAL £44.85