Morning everyone!
I love going out and finding new restaurants in Cardiff and although not all of them are 'new' to Cardiff they are new to me. I've heard of I Giardini di Sorrento on City Road and my family chose to go there for a birthday meal recently.
I love going out and finding new restaurants in Cardiff and although not all of them are 'new' to Cardiff they are new to me. I've heard of I Giardini di Sorrento on City Road and my family chose to go there for a birthday meal recently.
It's a classic Italian restaurant, the menus are in Italian and the staff speak it between themselves whilst you're there. The menu contains many options pizza, pasta, risotto, a specials board and a great selection of antipasti.
The restaurant is pretty inside and has lots of little trees and shrubs decorating the corners and ceilings.
We decided on a sharing platter and some bruschetta to start and a number of pasta dishes for mains.
The bruschetta was so tasty, the tomatoes were so fresh and adding balsamic vinegar made it even better. I've always liked bruschetta but this one was one of the best I've ever tasted.
The sharing platter was ordered by my brother and dad, they were so impressed with the range of meats, cheeses, olives, vegetables and bread that came with it.
Everything was perfectly presented and I was very jealous so we did a bit of a swap so we could all try the different options. I'd definitely recommend ordering both of these as starters and sharing them all around!
My mum ordered the salmon ravioli, the parcels were perfectly cooked and the contents were really tasty without being overpowering. The creamy sauce was also very flavorful but not too heavy so you didn't get full after a few bites!
We also had a few of the specials, including pappardelle pasta with lamb ragu which was a great example of classic Italian food - the pasta was again perfectly cooked and the ragu was so rich and moreish.
I chose the ravioli made with mozzarella, riccota and basil in a creamy sauce with walnuts and rocket.
It was the creamiest cheesiest dish I've ever eaten, and it fulfilled all of my expectations. I struggled to finish the plate (I was not leaving a bite!) and I fell into a fully satisfied, warm cheesy food coma afterwards. It was exactly what I wanted and I'd fully recommend if this even remotely sounds appetising to you, it was beautiful!
My dad and brother still had room for dessert so they ordered a slice of the Italian cheesecake with berry coulis and also some of the infamous tiramasu.
I was cheeky and asked for an extra spoon to have a taste of both. The cheesecake was beautiful and so very moreish, the berry coulis was stunning as well and I'd definitely recommend (they had other coulis options but I can't remember what these were now)
I was cheeky and asked for an extra spoon to have a taste of both. The cheesecake was beautiful and so very moreish, the berry coulis was stunning as well and I'd definitely recommend (they had other coulis options but I can't remember what these were now)
I'm not someone who likes coffee (AT ALL) but I was persuaded to have a taste of the tiramasu and can confirm it is also very very good. It doesn't have a strong coffee taste which was great for me but I could still tell it was there. I loved seeing the different layers and the sponge was moist without being soggy, it didn't last long before it had been devoured!
We all thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the prices were decent too, around £16 for the sharing platter for 2, ~£14 for the mains and £6 for desserts.
I'd definitely recommend going for a family meal, catch up with friends etc. They do a lunch time menu as well as a huge range of speciality coffees and wines.
Have you been to I Giardini di Sorrento? What have you tried from the menu?
L xxx
