The Bold Project Blog

Bold Street had an air of individuality and excitement about it, leading uphill from the underground and the cafe at the bottom of the street, where the waitresses wore a uniform of black dress with white apron and cap, rather quaint even then but delightfully so. They also had tablecloths and hat stands and served tea in shiny metal teapots with hot water as well all on a silver tray, and sugar cubes with tongs to help yourself.

The rest of the street always seemed to me to be terribly smart, a little bit like London!! It just had that air about it. There were shops, I seem to remember a shoe shop, and at least one had a very fancy ‘old fashioned’ curved glass window.

Travelling uphill, on the right hand side and adding to the cosmopolitan feel of the street was the Italian restaurant ‘La Bussola’. This restaurant for me was a delight and for me it is the part of Bold Street I remember the most, holding many happy memories!  It was a far cry from the pizza parlours that abound nowadays and was a very special place to dine.

You went down some steps at the entrance and once inside you could sit in a small bar area before going to your table. I remember my favourite dish was veal a la marsala, followed by zabaglione. I was lucky enough to be taken there several times and probably chose menu this every time! It was always exquisite!

There was music, and next to the dining area was a small and intimate dance floor and this was a new phenomenon to me, being so young. It was wonderful!