Restaurant Review: New Opening - Tre Ciccio, Altrincham

Hey,

Today's post brings another exciting new restaurant opening in Altrincham, Tre Ciccio!

Tre Ciccio's concept is simple - authentic, rustic Italian food created with great ingredients and a small menu focused around classic Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas and slow-roasted chicken.

The restaurant has been trading for a few weeks but has very recently unveiled its new outdoor terrace area - just in time for the pre-summer heatwave we've had!

I popped along to the launch night of the terrace area a few weeks ago so was delighted to be invited back for the full dining experience*.

We unknowingly picked a fantastic day to visit; booking for Wednesday last week when the UK's mini heatwave kicked off. I rang ahead to ensure we were sat in the wonderful outdoor terrace area to make the most of the weather.

We kicked things off with a light house pinot grigio while we perused the menu. I loved that the wine was served traditionally in tumblers like most great Italians do!

Tre Ciccio have a great antipasti selection, made up of traditional Italian appetisers. We decided to share so ordered the Pane e Pinzimonio - a bread basket of warm focaccia, Altamura bread and crisp Carasau, accompanied by olive oil and balsamic to dip; the Cuoppo Fritto - a Neapolitan-style selection of lightly fried sea food including calamari, prawns and small whole fish served with lemon and garlic mayonnaise and lastly, Bocconcini Fritti - lightly crumbed and fried buffalo mozzarella bites with fresh basil and Marzano tomato sauce.

Though Tre Ciccio's Italian-style roast chicken was tempting, we're both big pizza fans and having been greeted with the restaurant's huge pizza oven on arrival on the top floor, there's no way we could pass them up!

The pizza menu is made up of 'Classic' and 'Gourmet' pizzas. There's a wide range of options (while still being authentic - absolutely no BBQ sauce bases or pineapple here!) and I truly struggled to choose!

I finally settled on the Salernitana - topped with sliced pancetta, fior di latte cheese, parmesan and basil. My date went for the Calzone Napoletano - traditional folded pizza with salami, prosciutto, fior di latte cheese and basil.

My pizza was so good! Amazingly tasty and fresh toppings with a wonderfully chewy and slightly charred crust characteristic of a perfect wood-fired pizza!

The calzone was awesome too - piping hot inside with the ideal amount of filling and not too doughy.

As the sun set out on the terrace, we decided to share a tiramisu too (which by this point was too dark to capture!) and it topped off a fantastic meal perfectly!

Tre Ciccio is super close to where I live so I'm excited to have somewhere this good to stroll over the bridge to after work for a few beers and great pizza.

I'd definitely recommend this unassuming Italian for perfectly executed, authentically Neapolitan pizzas with a laidback, friendly neighbourhood atmosphere. They definitely give Altrincham Market favourite, Honest Crust some honest competition (geddit)! With the added bonus of having your own table!

Will you be visiting Tre Ciccio the next time you're in Altrincham?

Restaurant Review: Bottomless Pizza & Prosecco at Buca Di Pizza, Manchester

Hey,

Today brings a new Manchester restaurant opening that I was really excited about - Buca Di Pizza*.

This independently run pizzeria has already made a name for itself in Leeds for its  'Tutto' deal - unlimited pizza orders with bottomless refills of prosecco or house lager for an hour and a half.

Sounds like a dream to me!

I went down to the new cellar-style restaurant on Lloyd Street (close to Red's True BBQ) shortly after the opening to see if it lived up to expectation.

The restaurant is really nicely decorated inside. Walking down the steps from street level, you feel like you've stumbled across a real hidden gem. Buca Di Pizza, Manchester feels like an unassuming, Italian cafe, classically designed but with quirky relics lining the walls.

Opting for the Tutto deal, of course, I started off with prosecco (which was perfect) before trying the 'house' birra - which I'm usually a bit dubious of but I was pleased to find that Buca Di Pizza's was great!

The Pizzas

I was amazed at the choice on the menu. BDP specialise in Neapolitan style pizzas with 'a modern twist', with the menu split between classic Italian toppings and their own creations - including notable pizzas like 'The Snake Charmer' (Goan coconut curry sauce, chilli glazed paneer, lamb koftas, onion bhajis, grated carrot & beetroot, mint yogurt) and 'Rome of the East' (sweet potato & chickpea sauce, crunchy fried falafel, herb marinated feta, red onion, rocket and chili & mango dressing).

Our first pizza choices were a 'Nduja Love Me?' for me (tomato & basil sauce, grated mozzarella, mascarpone, spicy nduja paste, pepperoni, roast chicken, sundried tomatoes) and a 'Hickory Pig' for Chris (hickory barbecue sauce, grated mozzarella, chantico spiced cheddar, smoked pancetta, hickory smoked pulled pork) - both from the 'Pizza Buca' creation menu.

Both were well made and piled high with good quality toppings - impressive! Mine was very tasty and even though I'm usually more of a classic girl, the multitude of toppings seemed to work really well together; the mascarpone especially was a delicious touch. Chris was happy as Larry with the Hickory Pig as he loves BBQ sauce base pizzas but they just aren't for me so he doesn't have them often!

We ate these a little too quickly, eager to try a couple more. Next up were two pizzas from the Classic menu - a simple Pepperoni and a Frestosa - tomato & basil sauce, stracchina cheese, rocket, prosciutto and balsamic glaze. I found the balsamic a little overbearing on the Frestosa but other than that, these were great too - though we definitely preferred our first choices from the Pizza Buca menu!

We didn't manage much from our second pizzas so the friendly staff kindly boxed them up for us to take away.

At £25.95 per person, the Tutto deal represents great value - and quality! Though if stuffing your face isn't necessarily your thing, the individual pizza prices are really reasonable and they also serve pasta dishes too.

Is bottomless pizza and prosecco something you'd like to try?

Opening of Italian-inspired Cafe Bar: Enzo

Hey,

As you might well know, I can't get enough of Italian food. So when I heard about a new Italian-inspired eatery opening in Manchester city centre, I couldn't wait to check it out!

The concept of Enzo is an interesting one - Italian-influenced food, combined with the laidback cafe bar culture of Australia. I think this is actually just what Manchester needs! There have been many times I've found myself looking for a drink and bite to eat in the late afternoon but not necessarily looking for a full-on restaurant or busy bar experience - or even just a good cup of coffee, when the likes of Costa and Starbucks feel completely uninspiring.

Introducing, Enzo!

There for the launch night, we were served a selection of pizzas to try from the broad menu. All fresh-tasting, soft with crispy edges and with a huge selection of toppings on offer; my favourite was definitely the Ndjuja - created with dolcelatte cheese, spicy nduja sausage, toasted walnuts and rocket!

We also got to sample one of the pasta dishes which I was secretly hoping would be the Pesto Genovese! Handmade penne pasta with the freshest homemade basil pesto with toasted pine nuts. This was divine!

Washed down with a few glasses of prosecco and ice cold bottles of peroni, the mains were definitely a hit.

Afterwards we were pleased to get to try Enzo's famed coffee (worth the hype) and some samples of the homemade cakes.

There's something about Enzo that feels so brilliantly unique. The passion behind everything presented is easy to see. Finding out more about the restaurant, they make all their pizzas, pasta and cakes fresh - every day.

The coffee, too, is fantastic. Freshly ground, Italian and presented with flair - a far cry from most of the chains lining Market Street.

The decor feels vibrant, yet relaxed in style - making this a great place to meet friends over good food and drinks.

It's hard to believe that something like this exists so centrally in the city. Located on Fountain Street, it's well worth straying away from the hustle and bustle of Market Street to find!

Have you tried Enzo yet?

Aperitivo Time at Salvi's Cucina Italian Manchester

Hey,

Summer seems to have risen its head (finally!) in recent weeks and longer light hours in the sun always gets me in the mood for after work drinks!

There's something about sitting in the sun and enjoying a drink that slows the pace of life and melts away the stresses of the day.

Having been to Italy and seeing firsthand how the Italians do late afternoon drinks - relaxing outside, gathered around small tables with friends, enjoying a glass of something cool and small, fresh snacks - bringing a piece of this Italian tradition to Manchester would be a dream, right?

Well, authentic small restaurant group, Salvi's has answered that wish with the launch of their new 'Aperitivo Time' menu!

The aperitivo is such an integral part of life in Italy and Salvi's aims to bring this tradition into their Manchester restaurants, offering up a traditional aperitivo such as classics like an Aperol Spritz, Negroni, prosecco or an ice cold Peroni - teamed with a selection of authentic Italian cicchetti, including Salvi's famous imported buffalo mozzarella, along with cured meats, olives, cheese and breads.

The opening night saw a huge selection of traditional Italian snacks, served up sharing style at the front of the John Dalton Street, Cucina restaurant.

We were also lucky enough to try a few of the aperitivo drinks on offer such as a classic Negroni, Italian-style mojito and my favourite, Aperol Spritz - a bittersweet, refreshing mix of Aperol, prosecco and soda, swirled together with an orange garnish and loads of ice.

For just £10 per person, you'll receive a refreshing aperitivo drink from the selection and a board full of carefully prepared, Italian deli snacks.

You can get your own slice of Aperitivo Time at Salvi's Cucina on John Dalton Street or the Corn Exchange Mozzarella Bar, Sunday-Friday 4:30-6:30pm - it's your very own Italian Happy Hour!

Have you visited one of Salvi's restaurants?

A Pizza-Making Party at Pizza Express, Manchester

Hey,

If you follow me on, well, any platform at all - you'll know that I LOVE pizza. I could live on the stuff, in fact.

So any event involving my favourite culinary pleasure is an unwavering, solid 'yes' from me.

Pizza Express invited me down to their newly renovated Manchester Oxford Road restaurant to try my hand at creating my own masterpiece with one of the chain's Pizza Making Parties*. I love cooking and learning new skills so this sounded like a great way to spend an evening!

To start, we were offered a selection of drinks including Peroni and prosecco to loosen us up for the pizza making! It was nice to chat to our fantastic hosts and the other guests over drinks and Pizza Express' legendary Dough Balls!

We were then armed with aprons and Pizza Express paper chef's hats while the table was floured, ready for the dough.

We were each given a perfectly proportioned piece of dough, ready for manipulation - after a little lesson in kneading and tossing from one of the branch's trained pizza chefs.

Dough rolled and rounded (I was surprisingly pretty good at it!), we transferred our bases into perfectly sized pizza trays and added a generous smear of pizza sauce.

An array of fresh toppings were brought out (including red onion, artichoke and chunks of juicy chicken) and while some of the guests created some fantastically weird and wonderful combinations, I'm classic when it comes to pizza and simply opted for hot pepperoni and some fresh red chilli.

Sprinkled with a generous amount of cubed mozzarella, all that was left to do was wait for our creations to come out of the pizza over, ready to eat!

The big reveal was better than we could've expected! Some of the pizzas, it has to be said, went into the oven looking a little questionable but the cooking process seemed to resolve all sins and everyone's came out looking seriously appetising!

My pizza was absolutely delicious - perhaps more so because I'd made it myself!

After we'd scoffed our creations, the team hosted a little award ceremony with some fun prizes. Naturally, I was given the 'biggest tosser' prize!

I'd definitely recommend one of Pizza Express' Pizza Making Parties for a special occasion like a birthday or hen party as something everyone can enjoy.

Have you ever tried your hand at pizza making?