Piccolino

Piccolino is part of the oxymoronically named "Individual Restaurant Company" group and the Nottingham branch is a recent addition to the Lacemarket dining scene, with a prime location at Weekday Cross. We went on Saturday night for a visit which is unlikely to be repeated.

We had booked for 9pm but were invited to wait in the bar area for an hour and purchase our own drinks until a table became vacant. Some starters arrived before we had actually managed to order anything and the waiter then removed them and wandered around looking for their proper destination. Evidently he couldn't find it so they came back again as "compensation" for our delay - now that's what I call class.

The bar, which is right next to the dining area was full of ghastly smokers and the restaurant seems to be a great hit with 20-something hen nights and raucous office parties. I can't imagine why - it's not like it's cheap or anything. At £45/head (with wine), the food is way below the standard you would expect - my suckling pig was dry and overdone, though the starter was acceptable.

The decor is part lurid 70's american diner and part gloomy cocktail bar. The staff seem inexperienced, harassed and under trained.