The 'lang Toun' isn't particularly well known as an exquiste culinary destination. Sadly I have to say it did live up to it's reputation, a solid but unspectacular performer.
La Passione is an Italian restaurant, if you hadn't guessed located in an out of centre location in Kirkcaldy. It is a converted pub, with its origins easily identifiable from the outside. On approach to the restaurant, the menu was located high up on the window, where I doubt John Majors bionic eye could have read the menu without the aid of a stepladder.
On entering the restaurant it was clean and surprisingly spacious but it was neither a traditional rustic italian nor was it an attempt to be an upmarket restaurant. The tables were covered by a thin cheap wipeable tablecloth with a further white paper tablecloth on top. The chairs were also hard and uncomfortable, more a posh caf than an Italian Restaurant.
Fortunately the food was much better. I opted to keep it simple, spicy deep fried whitebait, though the spice was more in the creamy tomato dipping sauce, not the described spicy coating on the whitebait. Jax had brushetta with parma ham which she enjoyed and was quite tasty.
For mains I opted to go for the house special, a Calzone pizza. Whilst it wasn't what I'd normally eat, I thought what the heck, lets have a cholesteral overload tonight. The Calzone certainly hit the mark, but I would say it just climbed above average. Though I was eyeing up Jax's Tagatella with capers, black olives and anchovies.
The service was fairly good and not overbearing. Our attempts to order a side of fries were in vain with our waitress insisting that we had ordered ample of food, until we caught the eye of a different waiter. Upselling was certainly not her strong point, where she also advised us not to have an extra shot of coffee in a latte. Intersting, I'm sure the proprietor would be impressed with this wonderful service.
What I did find unpalatable was the waiter who swooped down on the table to pick up the tip faster than a flock of ravenous pigions in Trafalger Square after a discarded bag of chips!
I can overlook the Caf style layout, the food was pretty good, a solid 6.5 out of 10, the tip vulture I certainly can't. Would I go again? Only if I lived in Kirkcaldy, thank the Gods, I don't.............
