Grabbing dinner with friends is one of my favourite things to do, there's nothing better than catching up over great wine and even better food and that's exactly what myself and the bestest did recently. We headed to Enoteca which is in Bedford Place, Southampton, the newest Italian on the block.
Specialising in Italian dining, Enoteca was inspired by a Summer in Rome and a small restaurant that served dishes of cooked food, cheese and meats. Enoteca is a slice of Italy in a bustling city, with a warm welcome and irresistible Italian dishes, it's exactly what Southampton needed.
We started our evening with glasses of crisp wine while browsing the menu. There was a good variety available for a small menu and there was not one dish I wouldn't of happily eaten. We both said we could've easily worked our way through the entire menu.
Ro and I finally decided on a few dishes, including the special of Italian Sausage on a bed of Lentils which was beautiful. Soon our table was laden with Mixed Olives, a Dipping Trio, Cheese and Salami, Prosciutto wrapped King Prawns and Fine Beans. Having lived in Spain, this is my ideal type of dining, the ease of many small dishes to choose from while catching up with friends is exactly how I love dining to be, no faff, just fab food and company.
The Cheese and Salami board came with a selection of three cheeses, three cured meats, artisan bread and garnish. The Gorgonzola was my favourite of the three cheeses and topped with tomato chutney, it burst with flavours. We went to Enoteca on a Friday evening and the restaurant was alive with other diners enjoying the food, the smell of the Griddled Lamb Cutlets filled the air and it's one dish we both said we had to try next time along with the Polpettine meatballs.
After eating as much as we could it was time to warm up the dessert stomach. We both went for the Chocolate Fondant, although the Honey & Yoghurt Panna Cotta was a very close second. The Chocolate Fondant was a warm, dark and gooey dessert served with a scoop of Jude's Vanilla ice cream. The fondant was incredible, the sponge just right and when you broke it apart with a spoon the chocolate centre seeped out. I'd heard great things about the fondant before we visited but there really are no words for how amazing it tasted. You'll just have to go and try it for yourself.
Enoteca is a little gem of a place with a warm atmosphere, amazing food and the perfect place to wind down after a busy week. They also have a lunch menu if you don't fancy a Tesco Meal Deal and on Tuesday's Enoteca have an All You Can Eat special between 5-9pm.
