Coffee Beans

The Little Italian

The high-street was bustling with life; market stalls were closing down for the day and selling off their goods at cut prices, clothing shops were bringing down shutters and the bars, restaurants and cafes were filling up with night-owl customers. The fog remained thick over the street with cars going painfully slow, and even cyclists were getting off and walking along the pavement. Street lights partially shone through the clouded air, but the addition of fairy lights and open fires from kitchens along the road brightened the street.

"My choice," Ellie said, shivering in the cold wind. "Is the tiny Italian over there." She pointed at a two-meter-wide shop-front sandwiched between a couple of larger, mainstream restaurants.

Robin nodded and smiled as they crossed the road. "It looks good. I don't think I've been here before, but Italian is my favourite food."

"That's good to hear," Ellie said as they approached the restaurant's door. "I was slightly panicking about if I was going to make a good choice or not," she laughed nervously as a waiter opened the door for them. She immediately took off her woolly hat as a wave of heat hit her.

The restaurant was one of the smallest she'd ever been in but it was definitely her favourite. Eleven tables were scattered along either wall, leaving a small corridor down the middle of the space. Each of the tables was covered in the white tablecloth with a selection of candles and flowers in the middle. At the very back of the space was a single worktop where a waiter was pouring drinks and putting up meals for the three other waiters to give out to customers. There was even a hand-made pizza oven which was probably heating the restaurant by itself.

"Table for two?" The waiter asked, grabbing a couple of menus from behind a counter. Ellie nodded and followed the silver-haired man to a table near the pizza oven. He pulled out one chair at a time as Ellie, then Robin, sat down.

The waiter pulled out a notepad and clicked his pen. "What can I get you to drink?"