Casa Italia, Bearwood

The kerbstones outside here are big. Very big. Well perhaps not very big, but big enough, writes our meal reviewer The Insider.

And certainly much bigger than I thought when I tried to mount one to reach the raised parking area in front of the neighbouring shops.

It didn't feel much, and in truth it probably wasn't. In all likelihood it was more the angle of the wheel than the height of the kerbstone, but it didn't take Jeremy Clarkson to know that the gentle popping sound coming from the front of the car spelt trouble.

It never really occurred to me before that car tyres had personalities, but the deflated rubber adorning the corner of this silver Renault certainly did. With a pitiful, forlorn expression, it stared up from the forecourt, with a sort of "why did you do that to me?" look about it.

Why indeed, I thought as I spent the next half hour trying to wrench the seized nuts loose.

Boy, did this car get its revenge for my ineptitude. "You won't do that again," it seemed to snarl - probably in a French accent - as I huffed and puffed with a tiny wheelbrace designed more for folding neatly into the boot than for freeing the mother of all wheel nuts.

Conceding defeat, I decided it was time to get on with the food, and trudged dejectedly into Casa Italia, nursing oily, sore hands, and an ego which was not so much bruised as smashed into pieces.

Still, at least the staff were sympathetic. "You could have parked at the side," said the friendly gentleman, with an understanding nod. If only I had known that earlier.

The same gentleman lit the candle on our table, and as we settled into our chrome-framed, high-backed black chairs, my eyes were drawn to a small sign on the wall.

"Life is too short for cheap wine" it declared. An interesting thought, but I must confess that by this stage I would have gladly knocked back the first alcoholic beverage that fell readily to hand.

It is a fairly small restaurant, split over two floors. Downstairs the walls were a gentle jasmine yellow, whereas upstairs they had a soft golden tinge, and it seems from the cuttings proudly displayed on the stairway that I must be the only member of the Express & Star staff who has not visited before.

The toilets, at the top of the stairs are tiny, and a lady walking up the wooden hill was tickled pink at the sight of me frantically trying to get my hands clean (without soap) in the doorway.

But although it is a little cramped, it does create a friendly, intimate atmosphere, a little like the sort of place you might stumble across in the back streets of Sorrento.

Many of the customers were no doubt regulars; the large family group who headed for the upstairs, and the young people on the table in front.

A couple, probably in their mid 40s, were reminiscing about Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques on the table next to ours, and there was quite a vibrant feel to the place.

Needless to say, my first priority was to get some wine in, and while I did give some thought to the sign on the wall, I decided that the Express & Star budget might not run to the rather expensive champagne on the wine list, and instead settled on a house white.

With 25 different starters and 63 main courses, you can hardly complain about the choice, and the menu struck a good balance between traditional Italian dishes and the more middle-of-the-road fare for those of more conservative tastes.

I went for the filetto al pepe from the speciality menu, which regular readers will know is a favourite of mine.

The owners proudly claim that all the food is prepared using the "finest fresh produce", with many ingredients being sourced locally and others being imported from Italy.

The food was elegantly presented, with my steak being beautifully tender, and served in a gorgeous, creamy sauce made up of cognac and piquant green peppercorns.

There was no faulting the crisp, golden chips either, although I would probably have liked a few more, and at £15.95 the price was not excessive.

My companion went for the pollo alla cacciatora, a breast of chicken served with a sauce made up of tomato mushrooms, red wine, shallots and herbs, and said it had been beautifully cooked.

For afters I went for a chocolate fudge cake, which had a pleasantly soft texture, and it was enjoyable enough, if slightly lacking in the "wow" factor.

The total bill was £43, about par for the course, and the good food and excellent service made it well worth the money.

As I was about to leave, the gentleman in charge asked me if I had been able to get the tyre sorted, and called us a cab when I told him we would have to leave the car their until Monday.

"Come back for another meal on Monday," he suggested cheerily, and the truth is I would have quite liked to have done so.

His concern seemed genuine, and I have to say it was his thoughtfulness and consideration that turned what could have been a dreadful evening into a reasonably pleasant one.

He restored my faith in human nature, and after a quite a trying evening, I returned home feeling reasonably happy, if a little tyred.

Sorry.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Olives £2.95; Breaded goujons of lemon sole served with dip and salad £4.95; Bruschetta Romana - fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and garlic, on toasted bread; Broccoli, baked with cream, gorgonzola and mozzarella £4.95

Main courses

Pizza pollastra - cheese, tomato, onion, garlic, strips of chicken breast with sauteed spinach £8.25; Vegetarian pizza - cheese, tomato, mushrooms, onions, green and red peppers, olives, sweetcorn and herbs £7.95; Spaghetti bolognese £8.95; Tortellini quattro formaggi - stuffed pasta with four cheeses, spinach, garlic and shallots in creamy sauce £9.9; Filetto Casa Italia - strips of fillet with green peppercorns, mushrooms, peas, asparagus and cream sauce £14.95; Crespolini - rolled pancake filled with ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, shallots, bechamel, tomato sauce & mixed cheese £9.95; Pollo mostarda - breast of chicken cooked with garlic, wild mushrooms, mustard, tarragon and cream sauce £13.95; Oven-baked salmon on a bed of char grilled vegetables £15.95

Desserts

Tiramis; Strawberry cheesecake; Lemon cake

ADDRESS

Casa Italia, Hagley Road, Bearwood, B66 4AX

Phone: 0121 429 569