La Montanara In

I have been eating mostly Japanese food recently, so its been a while since I visited many of the other haunts I used to go to regularly. I'm pleased to find that La Montanara In is just as good as ever. I had a late lunch /early dinner of linguine with clams and mussels. and it was excellent. (I had intended to have Pizza Palermo, with spicy sausage, spinach and parmesan, which is an old favourite, but I was unable to resist the linguine).

Everything was perfectly cooked with no shortage of fresh, tasty shellfish. The deliciously rich buttery sauce, made with fresh vegetables and herbs, was loaded with so much garlic that it was hot in the mouth. Luckily, I was not planning to have any intimate contact with anyone this weekend (as if that was ever going to happen).

The staff and owners at La Montanara In are all italian I think and the place, and the food, does seem very authentic. There is a certain haughtiness to the waiters, which reminds me of the typical Kölsch Kurbis, and which probably rubs some people the wrong way, but it doesn't affect the quality of service in my experience. Even the coffee is good and, for after dinner drinks, they have a good selection of interesting grappas.

It is almost always packed in the evening, especially at weekends, but I don't think I've ever been turned away (which is more than I can say for some other, completely empty, restaurants in Köln [cough]Bali[cough]).