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There is an all-too familiar roller coaster of emotions that we go through every time we hear of the prospect of a new bar or restaurant in Chester. The excitement of the first whispers of the new arrival is followed by speculation and mounting hope as we get each new scrap of information. Then, finally, opening day comes, we take our seats at a shiny new table and … pfff! we realise we are to be disappointed once more. There is always something wrong: we are never happy.
The question is: are we being passed off with inferior quality just because we’re small town, or are our expectations just too high? Well, in Bollicini, for once, there is no disappointment. In fact, as our increasing cynicism conditions us to expect to be let down, so we are all the more delighted when we are not.
The quaint old house in Rufus Court that has done service as a Thai restaurant, a traditional English, a contemporary restaurant and bar, gives little away from the outside. Once inside though, you can hardly suppress a little laugh of astonishment: how did they do that? How did they manage to build this enormous modern space, these three separate floors of state-of-the-art leisuring, on that funny little site?
There is, of course, a bar. Glass built and glowing, even in daylight. Tables and chairs - enough of them. Downstairs, in a well, are the restaurant tables. There is more seating on a mezzanine floor, under a glass roof with views across the green. It is bright, yet relaxing. The walls are white with details picked out in aubergine; floors are made with broad boards and granite; the lighting is exquisite.
Cutely uniformed staff flit from table to table, their European accents evoking the one-stop bars of Milan, where drinking, eating and dancing can be enjoyed under one roof. There seem to be quite a lot of them, which is as well, since they are young and green and service is conducted at a leisurely pace. Pints of draft Peroni appear to be the refreshment of choice. There is no need to visit the bar, though it is a shame not to.
There is music - preprogrammed, until the DJ deems it time to stand at his machine and match the groove to the mood. On our visit we were prescribed some fairly laid back ambient/trance and there was no difficulty maintaining one of our habitually intense conversations. We stayed longer than planned. We wondered whether the babysitter would mind waiting up till one o’clock. It was all too easy: why would we want to leave? If it hadn’t been for a nagging feeling of wallet fatigue, we might have been there all night.
Of course we have to throw in a couple of caveats, especially with it being such early days. What kind of crowd will it attract? Hopefully one that is urbane and diverse. How will the restaurant shape up? Well, we’ll cover that in a separate review. And will they be able to maintain high standards? This is down to them. But as we write, Bollicini stands as probably the most attractive new venue to open in Chester in recent years.
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