My husband regularly goes out for lunch with his Mum (‘Mum and Son’ days as they are known) and although they talk about new and exciting places, they always seem to end up at the area about 2 minutes drive away called ‘Centre 27’. There are about 10 restaurants altogether in this area, and yet every time they go, they end up in Bella Pasta. Calling him a boring git the last time he did it, he explained that they think about going to other places, but end up at BP as it’s reasonably priced, near to home, always pretty empty, good car parking and most importantly the food is always nice.

WHAT IS BELLA PASTA?

I’ve been to three different restaurants in the chain – one in Liverpool, which is located in the middle of the high street, and is fairly cramped, one in Birmingham, which is near a cinema, and next door to about three other chains, and this one in Birstall.

This restaurant is located at Centre 27. If you’re familiar with Leeds, I’m sure you know where I mean. If not, it’s a huge Americanised area off junction 27 of the M62 – it’s basically where the M62 and the M621 meet. It’s based around the huge Showcase cinema, but has expanded over the road to include the Ikea. I provided a map below as well, just in case you don’t know what I’m on about.

The car park has 4 disabled spaces, often taken up by lazy people without badges as usual. Unlike most places, this isn’t too much of a problem. The whole car park is on level ground, so it doesn’t really matter where you park. We need side access to our van, so we usually park in a space with an empty space next to us as the disabled spaces aren’t any wider, and it’s very rare that anyone parks next to us.

The building is styled to look like it belongs in Italy, with its pale stone walls and many hanging baskets outside. There are a couple of steps (or a ramp) up to the front door, and the whole impression is pleasant. There is a patio area with metal tables and chairs - however, if you eat outside, the fumes and noise from the nearby cars, as well as the site of a KFC and cinema nearby, can ruin the impression of al Fresco dining in a small Tuscan village. I highly recommend going inside, even on a hot day, as they usually open the large windows, and it’s quieter.

The inside continues the Italian theme, with big jars of pasta, Italian adverts and many paintings of chilli peppers and tomatoes adorning the walls. It’s kind of like TGI Fridays, but with Italian memorabilia instead of American. I enjoy looking at all the things they have, even though they never change from one time to the next, and am often inspired to get the paints out after being there (mainly because I usually think ‘I could paint something better than that’).

Despite the name, not everything is pasta – it is all Italian food though, so if you’re not a big fan of hot tomatoes and garlic, you’re probably onto a loser coming here.

***Antipasti (starters)***
Starters are priced at £2.95 and upwards. They include soup, bruschetta, mushrooms, as well as the more exotic mussels and an assortment for two people to share.

***Insalate (salads)***
Salads are available as a starter or as a main course. It’s a little bit over half price to order it as a starter – for example, a main course chicken Caesar salad is £7.65, but as a starter it’s £3.95.

***Pizza ***
All the pizzas are baked on a thin crispy ‘proper Italian’ pizza base, with 100% mozzarella. They range from £5.75 for a mushroom one, to £7.95 for one with salmon. Extra toppings are available at 95p.

***Casa Speciali (house specials)***
These are Italian inspired dishes. There is disappointingly only one type of risotto (mushroom, £7.95), but this is the area to order from if you don’t like pasta or pizza and have been dragged along. They serve sausages, lamb or chicken, with various potatoes and vegetables. The prices are more expensive, ranging from £7.95 to £9.95.

***Dolci (desserts)***
Classic Italian deserts such as Tiramisu and Limoncello (both £3.75), as well as the usual cheesecake and ice cream. The biggest desert is the disgustingly rich The Godfather (£4.25 for one, or £6.25 for two to share) – it’ll make your teeth hurt just thinking about it.

FOOD QUALITY

I chose the Penne al Tonno Pomodoro (penne pasta with flaked tuna and a tomato and red onion sauce) while Ian chose Linguine Pollo Rustica (linguine with chicken and semi-dried tomatoes in a basil pesto sauce). We also chose a garlic ciabatta as a side order. We didn’t have any starters, because we know the main course is the right sort of size for us, but in the past I have had the baked mushrooms, which are an interesting take on the usual breaded garlic mushrooms – they are baked in a little dish, in a creamy garlic sauce with mozzarella.

This particular Bella Pasta also provides a take-away service. You ring them up, and then go and pick up the meal about ten minutes later. I think this is why the service is so fast for some pasta dishes – they already have a couple of batches on the go of the most ordered take-away meals, and if you happen to choose one of them, you get super-fast service. Pick up a take-away menu from the restaurant to try the service. Just a pity they don’t deliver.

As I couldn’t steal a menu this time, I was pleased the website showed the entire menu. It’s quick to load, and easy to navigate, with maps of how to find every restaurant, and how to apply for a job to work for them. The site looks the same as the menus, continuing the theme of the chain nicely.

Whilst you might find better Italian food at your local Italian restaurant, you can find much worse. Bella Pasta provides good Italian food, albeit it from a nationwide menu, at good prices, and consistent quality. If you find yourself in a strange town, and you find a Bella Pasta, you automatically know it’s going to be good food – of course this can take some of the adventure of finding a new restaurant out of your experience, but it might mean you don’t eat in a dodgy Italian down a back street in the middle of Northampton.