A FAMED Largs institution has been reborn to scoop out the finest ice-creams once again
ASK anyone in Glasgow what they know about Largs and chances are the first word out of their mouth will be 'Nardini's'. Having a couple of scoops at the famous art deco ice-cream emporium on the seaside town's esplanade is an essential rite of passag
e for anyone who has grown up in the west of Scotland.
For the past 50 years, the summers in general, and the Glasgow and Paisley fairs in particular, have seen endless ranks of families escape the madness of the city and head out to what was once marketed without a hint of irony as the West Coast Riviera. Many would use Largs as a stop-off point, from where to catch the ferry to Cumbrae or clamber aboard the Waverley paddle steamer for a trip "doon the watter".
But the one thing every visitor to Largs would do is visit Nardini's. In this age of Ben & Jerry's, when a budget flight to Milan costs marginally more than a ticket to the football, it's perhaps difficult to understand just how luxurious and exotic Nardini's ice-cream was for the working folk who would flock to Largs for their holidays and high days. The fact that the place never changed, remaining so unaltered that it looked as if the 1950s had been preserved in aspic within its walls, only served to increase its cachet. Fathers and mothers took their children to Nardini's safe in the knowledge that they would enjoy exactly the same experience their parents remembered from quarter of a century before.
All that changed when infighting among the Nardini family spilled out into the open and brought the company to its knees earlier this decade. Suddenly, the town's most recognisable building sat empty and rotting, the windows boarded up and the end apparently in sight. At one stage, developers made an attempt to raze it and build yet another block of flats. It would have marked the apogee of the town's Torremolinos-style makeover.
Happily, however, the local council saw sense and instead the place underwent a complete makeover. Not only that, but its new owners kept the spirit and layout roughly the same. As you come through the front door, you're still confronted by a counter displaying the most remarkable array of chocolate confections, cakes and ice-creams. Hang a left and there's still a kitsch-overload (otherwise known as the main dining room), where waitresses scurry to and fro delivering afternoon teas and ice-cream sundaes. Even the wicker furniture and strange rope curtains are still in situ.
But turn right and you enter a whole new world. This is where the restaurant is housed, and it's unlike anything the gaudy old lady of Largs has ever seen before. Understated, modern, roomy and almost minimalistic, the restaurant and bar have a relaxed and informal atmosphere that contrasts strikingly with the frenetic kiddie-centric activity in the tearoom. Not that it's quiet in terms of clientele: we went on the night before Good Friday and the place was packed out.
The menu advertises itself as belonging to a ristorante-pizzeria, and is so vast in scope that we feared the worst. Most of the options are generic Italian dishes that could be found in every trattoria in every town in Scotland. Bea decided to play safe, starting with the king prawns on garlic bread, coated with lemon sauce and served with rocket salad, while I opted for meatballs. To our surprise, they were both better than anticipated. Bea's gamberoni were large and succulent, but it was my meatballs that really made us sit up and take notice. Clearly home-made and served in a rich tomato sauce, they were evidence of someone with a sure hand in the kitchen.
Nor was that an isolated incident. Bea's monkfish tails with roast peppers were perfectly cooked and came served with white beans, a competent tomato sauce and gloriously herby polenta. My smoked haddock and green vegetable lasagne was a curious concoction with the consistency of bouillabaisse, but it just about worked.
Which left us with pudding. To my disbelief, Bea gave the tundra of ice-cream options a sideswerve and instead chose the cheesecake. This turned out to be a bad move: gelatinous, tasteless and over-priced – she won't make that mistake again. I, on the other hand, aimed at the non-moving target, opting for the coppa amarena, an enormous vase that had been requisitioned by the office of the Gelati General and stuffed full of the most gloriously creamy vanilla ice-cream, a bagful of cherries and enough cream to make half of Paisley feel sick for a week. Once I'd scraped off the cream, I spent the next 20 minutes in silent contemplation, ploughing my way through the mountain of calories, then the next hour groaning with over-indulgence yet also slyly wondering what it would be like to tackle the monstrously large Clyde Coast Extravaganza, a beast of a pudding that was more than twice as large as the confection I had just dispatched.
If I left groaning, it was no great surprise. The food at Nardini's was better (if more expensive) than we had expected, and the peripherals – from the efficient service to the excellent house red – were good. But the main attraction of a visit remains the moreish ice-cream, upon which the Nardini name was forged. It's good to see that some things never change.
VITAL STATISTICSNardini The Esplanade Café, 2 Greenock Road, Largs (01475 675000)
Out of pocket Starters £3.50-£6.95 Main courses
£6.50-£21.75 Puddings £2.95-£12.95
Rating 7/10
