The Glasgowist: The story behind new Glasgow restaurant Banca di Roma

They will bring family traditions and flavours to Glasgow when Banca di Roma opens on Royal Exchange Square in February.

The new landmark restaurant in listed former banking halls will be the first project led by the brothers, who previously worked for chef Francesco Mazzei of Sartoria on Savile Row in London.

Their relationship with food started in childhood, Antonio says. “It began as a game, when you are young in the South of Italy, mothers and grandmothers get the kids to play and make pasta.

“It was always part of our life. Then it grew into a passion for ingredients and became what we wanted to do in life. We had a big garden and the countryside to explore, we were surrounded by things to taste when we were young; fennel or oranges or mandarins.  Our dad would make wine, we would have homemade pickles and make our own tomato sauce as a family.”

Antonio was the first to go to hospitality school, followed by Pasquale. After a few years they started working in the same restaurant, youngest brother Simone would take his place alongside them during the holidays while he studied mathematics at university.

Pasquale led the way to London, two months that turned into an eye-opening introduction to modern Italian cooking over a period of years with his two siblings moving to join him.

He says: “When Simone said he was moving to London with us, my mum said ‘no, two chefs in the family are enough’, but he wanted to be with his brothers and he knows what to do in the kitchen.”

The tradition of working with local produce was added to while in the metropolitan kitchens of the capital.

“We come from a small city, all we knew was local before London, that opened our mind to all of Italy with different styles of fusion.

“We now see Glasgow as a great opportunity for us to bring together our tradition with the local produce and create something new and special. I want you to see our skills and our identity on every plate,” Antonio says.

Italian food is a core cuisine in Glasgow, we are raised on pasta and the city has a long-established Scottish Italian community – diners about town this month have included Lewis Capaldi, Paolo Nutini and Peter Capaldi. How much do they know about their new home?

“I know there are a lot of Italian people in Scotland and we can see that it is a good place for Italian cooking.  We want to bring something that you don’t have at the moment. We grew up sharing food with friends and family, it was about a moment where you could talk, that’s something that we hope translates to Glasgow where we know people like to chat, it’s a friendly city.

“We will have staff in the dining room who will be able to explain our ideas and the dishes and get to know the customers. Our roots are Mediterranean cuisine so there’s a lot of citrus and tomato and olive oil,” Antonio says.

“We’ve found Scottish people are kind, they are real, you can have a chat. We also love the building we have, the architecture of Glasgow is amazing,” Pasquale says.

When they flew into Scotland, the first thing they did was meet with a supplier and taste some langoustines.

Pasquale says: “In the south of Italy, we cook with a lot of fish, then there are farms with pork so we know a lot about these types of ingredients.

“We want to create an experience and we are excited about the produce we will be able to transform in the kitchen.”

The brothers say they don’t have a recipe for avoiding sibling rivalry but they work well together as a team.

“We respect everyone in the kitchen, when you put the chef whites on it is about the work and bringing ideas to life, it’s like you become a different person and leave everything else outside,” Antonio says.

Glasgow and Naples have a shared culinary heritage in one respect, you will find deep-fried pizza in both places. The brothers laugh when I mention it.

“That’s like our idea to bring dishes that are familiar but prepare them in a different way. We have a garlic bread that will be like nothing you will have seen before. The pizza we make will not be what you expect. We grew up with tomatoes so the sauce and our spaghetti will be a new experience for Glasgow.”

Dishes for the debut menu include a baked baba stuffed with gorgonzola cheese and nduja sausage, Vesuvian tomato and basil with spaghetti alongside a lingotto, a gold bar dessert, which pays tribute to the building’s banking history.