As the autumn nights start to draw in, the vibrancy of Lancaster’s evening dining scene continues to light up, with a new Italian dining experience being unveiled to meet local demand on 23rd September.
Buccelli’s café and deli, the dream of Rome-born Bruno Buccelli and his Lancastrian wife Nicola, opened its doors in Church Street in November last year. Focusing on the local appetite for fresh choice and good cuisine, it complemented Lancaster’s existing ‘Italian quarter’ as a fresh take on a Mediterranean-heritage café, bar and deli all rolled into one.
Distinctive offerings include their own deli boards, try-before-you-buy tastings and aperetivo, (an Italian ‘afternoon tea’ style tradition which offers a ‘chopping board’ of food, washed down with Prosecco). The local reception has been so enthusiastic that, less than a year later, the café is now expanding into evening service three nights a week, taking the opportunity to introduce a completely new dining experience to Lancaster in the process, called the ‘Osteria’.
Osterias evolved in Italy as bistros serving wine and simple, yet filling ‘sharing’ dishes based around fresh seasonal ingredients. The laid-back atmosphere encourages diners to swap, share and enjoy drinks and platters. Buccelli’s osteria dishes will be specific to the evenings, whilst incorporating some of the café’s most popular introductions, the taglieres (cured meat and cheese board).
Owner Bruno explains; “For an osteria there is a set menu, at a set price, where you get a tagliere, a Primo (pasta dish) and a Secondo (meat or fish dish). There will be a vegetarian options and a menu ‘alla carta’ too.”
Choice is important to Bruno, as a father of a daughter with food intolerances. The café’s team, are being joined by a new evening chef, Dario, who brings with him 25 years’ of experience. This will enable individual requirements to be catered for, as Bruno puts it; “An Osteria means a happy, relaxed atmosphere. In Rome, friends meet to share a tagliere, enjoy good wine, and wind down after their day, without the formality of a restaurant.”
With Italian classes becoming increasingly popular Lancastrians’ keen cultural interest is something Bruno wants to encourage. “Lancaster’s been so welcoming to us. It’s a great place to be, and I see how much the people here love good food. The osteria is a unique piece of Italian history and heritage, and we are proud to have the chance to bring this great Italian tradition to Lancaster.”
Buccelli’s Osteria is open Thursday-Saturday evenings from 6pm from 23rd September. See Buccelli’s on Facebook; for booking enquiries and opening night event reservations: 01524 874970.
