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CAFÉ PIAZZA
83 REGENTS STREET, CAMBRIDGE. 01223 356666
Open Tues - Thurs 0am - 11pm, Fri - Sat 10am - 12pm.
Café Piazza is on Regents Street, just the Catholic Church side of The Hogshead public house. It’s a Mediterranean Restaurant with a twist in that at about 10 ’clock at weekends they pull back the tables and launch into Latin dance evenings.
This is how I first came about the place. A whole load of us came in one night after Salsa and Meringue classes in a hall behind the church. There must have been about twenty of us up in the top room, dipping into simple things like hot bread sticks, or a salad, or the Ultimate Tuna Fish Dip, or some going for the pizza. You know, the odd glass of wine or bottle of Peroni, and before I knew it, the Salsa class was up in full swing again. First one or two couples started dancing, then when we were all at it, everybody shifted downstairs where the tables had been pulled aside and the whole scene had miraculously transformed from an intimate dining experience, to a full on Latin Party. Not what I had expected really, more the kind of thing that goes down on your holidays or something, but really, really good fun. And added to that Café Piazza is one of the few places in town where this kind of dancing, you know, couples holding each other tight in that ‘I’m a man, you’re a woman’ type-way, goes down.
The eating out bit of The Clap experience has rapidly turned into the number one activity. I’m either extremely fickle, or it has been the case that each one gets better and better.
"How’s your mushrooms?"
"nicely garlicy".
"How’s your…erm, pizza?"
"Uh…..nicely cheesey".
"So why don’t you like cucumber?"
"It repeats on me".
You can see, clearly, how we got this job. But side-stepping, meringue style, from the ‘proper’ food critic angle, this issue’s visit to Café Piazza rates, I’ve got to say, as probably the best so far. Might have been that I hadn’t eaten for two days, but even so I rarely clean my plates like I did on this occasion. A big and juicy Lambada Salad (mushrooms, tuna, hot pepperoni and olives) was just a gorgeous starter, followed by a Mucho Macho extra hot pizza. Pepperoni, spicy chicken, crushed chillis, ground beef and extra hot green chilli peppers - I like it hot, and washed down with house white and a bottled beer, doesn’t get much better. Total Paul, who came with me on this occasion for the free Clap meal, and ended up lending me a tenner, tucked into garlic mushrooms and Tagliatelli Carbonara, a dish I’ve seen him consume in here before on one of his work do’s. He does that, you know. Turns up in nice joints with some friends from Hobsons where he works, all girls, and likes to think he’s popular with the ladies. I’m sure he’ll thank me for that comment.
"You know mate," he says of Café Piazza, "what can I say? - nice one", - and sums the whole experience up perfectly.
Colin Hulyer, formerly of Don Pasquales and Browns has been manager just since January. But the restaurant as it is, has been here for eight years. Once a ‘Pizza Piazza’ and named ‘Café Piazza’ for the past two years it has the capacity for around 110 people and because of its nature is ideal for parties, after work gatherings, that sort of thing. The first room is divided from the back room, where the dancing goes down, by the chefs at work. I like that, gives you something to look at if you’re sick of the sight of your partner, or if you’re wondering how the hell soon your dinner’s going to turn up. Not that we had to wait or anything, I’m just saying. The upstairs room, if I remember correctly is quite small, but ideal for party bookings so you get all your friends into one space without bothering the more intimate diners in the downstairs area. Bookings, I’m told, are more or less essential for the evenings, because you do see quite large groups of people coming in. While we’re there Jon, one of the Clap’s writers, turns up on spec to do his own review, no doubt hoping he can blag a free bottle of red or something. But it goes to show that Café Piazza knows how to draw people in.
And this is why we particularly recommend Café Piazza. Quality Pizza and Pasta at very affordable prices and, if you like dancing, then you get a whole evening of entertainment thrown in. Which, on a street where competition amongst restaurants is hot, sets Café Piazza aside.
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