Attwood’s dinnertime delights
Bringing out the Italian in me
By Thomas Attwood, Birmingham’s first Member of Parliament
We’re proud to host one of the city’s most famous sons, and the city’s first Member of Parliament, Thomas Attwood, right here in Chamberlain Square. Attwood was a vital figure in the city’s growth in the nineteenth century and now reclines on the steps by the Town Hall. Here we imagine his thoughts about the many restaurants and cafés which grace Paradise – starting with a visit to La Bellezza.
It makes sense that my first sojourn away from my happy abode in Chamberlain Square this year was to move my rusty limbs from my home on the steps by the Town Hall across the square to pavement I seldom tread.
More than being able to see La Bellezza from my perch, I can smell it, which has been a little tortuous at times since this restaurant opened in 2024. It has always sent me some highly encouraging scents and sights, so the opportunity to actually make my way across the square to this highly inviting Italian trattoria with its 8 metre tall velvet curtains and corresponding chandeliers, as well as tumbling ivy, was too good to miss.
Walking in became a lesson in keeping my eyes skyward – like Leonardo admiring his handiwork in the Sistine Chapel, I couldn’t stop taking in the ceiling and all that was laid out above me. The curtains alone are so voluptuous and heavy, the strength of a single man is not enough to move them.
My first impression was how this rather grand space somehow still manages to feel cosy – even with a ceiling two storeys above you, the atmosphere is personal and cosseted once you’re seated at your table.
All that velvet and with the walls adorned with endless pictures as well as enough bottles of liquor to stock a small country, it truly is a breath-taking moment when you take all this in for the first time. And it means you spend as much time looking around as you do reading the menu in your lap (which in itself requires a fair understanding of Italian – or at least the ability to ask the friendly waiters for clarification in English!).
After ordering – and devouring – some obligatory arancini and a selection of breads, I felt confident to plump for a classic pasta dish of Mafaldine Al Fughi. But the description of what I ordered did nothing to prepare me for what followed. The waiter’s appearance with a large, coloured plate sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. Andiamo! Parmigiano Reggiano? Si!
Did I mention the chandeliers yet? They’re as grand as anything I ever saw during my years in London representing Birmingham in the House of Commons. These gold and crystal Murano miracles are worthy of the Doge’s palace in Venice.
The interior may be a tad ostentatious for some tastes, but when the food arrives that rightly takes centre stage in this culinary theatre. The tastes are deep and more-ish as well as somehow being light and simple at the same time – the key to all good Italian cuisine if you ask me.
It’s all about the quality of the base ingredients here, and the time and effort put into the preparation generates some rich and satisfying results. On this score alone, La Bellezza hits a very tasty 10 out of 10. Every mouthful is a delight and underscores a commitment to quality that you can smell and taste the moment dishes are brought to the table.
I also enjoyed a pizza margherita – one of the basic tests of any Italian food emporium – which I can honestly say was the best I’ve ever tasted outside of Italy itself.
The recommended wines – a combination of red, white and rosé – all went down well from a frankly massive selection of drinks and helped me to find the confidence to finish off the meal with what can only be described as an incredible slice of Lemon meringue pie which must have been the size of my face! Genuinely, I’ve never seen such a plentiful pudding in all my days!
It took a lot of concentration to get to the bottom of this festival of cake – and again, the taste matched the quality of the presentation. Buonissimo!
By the time I left the restaurant – a good many hours after I arrived, I must admit – I was so happily full I fell asleep the moment I reclined once more on my steps and closed my eyes.
The only question in my mind as I drifted off was – where shall I visit next?
You can book at La Bellezza here