WHERE do Italian restaurants get that atmosphere?
 Forget the po-faced posh ones, turning their noses up at children and refusing to do pizza. I mean the child-friendly, welcoming ones - the restaurants that seem to reflect the irrepressible nature of the Italian people themselves. The Indians have piped sitar music, the Greeks bouzouki. But the Italians just buzz. They somehow create an amazing noise level that raises every-body's voice a few octaves. It should be irritating but it is charming. Take Est Est Est for example. The mention of the name brings back fond family memories, particularly for Oliver, now 12. Paper tablecloths with a supply of crayons, do-it-yourself pizzas and honorary chef's hats all helped to make it his favourite venue from the time he was little more than a toddler. When we were in town McDonald's never got a look-in, thankfully. So after a gap of a few years it was time to pay another visit. We decided to do things correctly and we even borrowed another 12-year-old, Aidan, for the day. The Est Est Est we remember was best enjoyed after a Saturday afternoon spent in town, so we planned our approach. After an inquiry a few days earlier I had been told that the restaurant does not take Saturday night bookings for parties of less than six people. I was advised we may face a wait. No matter. We spent a happy hour wandering around Chester and then enjoyed the new Wallace and Gromit film. Without wishing to give too much of the plot away, the story revolves around Wallace's (or is it Gromit's?) cheese fixation. He is not the only one. 'Do you remember the Est Est Est cheeseboard?' came a whisper from the darkness. It was Beverley, no doubt all misty-eyed at the thought of past glories. | 
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