We were recently invited to San Lorenzo in Washington to try their new menu and I can safely say I think I have found my second home!
They say the Italians know how to entertain and cook and boy did they get that right. From walking through the door we were made to feel more than welcome. Nothing was too much trouble and everything was explained in detail with care and attention.
The menu was clear and easy to read with English explanations of what each dish. We did try to pronounce the Italian but lets just say I need practice! Our server asked if we wanted wine and brought a bottle which she recommended. Although the meal was complimentary we paid for this ourselves which was £35.00
I took my mum and sister with me and for starters we chose the Pane, which was a selection of Italian breads, grissini, salted butter and an olive oil and balsamic glaze dip. Way more than enough for one person and we left it on the table to have with our main meals as mum couldn’t finish the whole thing!
The Nduja Tostada, sauteed black pudding, Nduja sausage and wild mushrooms, honey mustard ju served on a toasted rustic ciabatta.
Arancini Funghi, Fried risotto rice balls with wild mushrooms, saffron, garden peas, garlic, thyme and provolone cheese with a roasted tomato arrabbiata puree and baby rocket salad. The starters were all absolutely amazing filled with so much flavour, I had the Nduja Tostada and it was amazing, spicy yet delicious and very moorish!
Service was spot on and we were checked to make sure we were enjoying our meal. No sooner were the starter dishes taken away then we were brought out our main meals. Lisa chose the Pollo Piselli, roast chicken supreme, grilled asparagus with creamed tarragon and grain mustard potatoes, served with pea, pancetta, crispy Kale and cider sauce.
Mum chose the Pollo Milanesse, flattened crumbed chicken breast on a bed of pasta napoli. She said the chicken was cooked to perfection and there was more than enough pasta.
I ordered the Gamberoni in Pastella, King prawns deep fried in crispy tempura batter with sweet chilli dip and a choice of side. For the side I ordered the sweet potato fries and as I’ve never had it before, the creamed spinach!
Boy was that amazing! The prawns were huge, the biggest I have ever been served before and the batter was light and crispy. The sweet chilli sauce was sweet with a kick which was the perfect dip for both the prawns and the sweet potato fries.
By this point we were almost fit to burst but taking my job of reviewing the food seriously meant that I couldn’t give a full opinion if we didn’t try the desserts! Mum was done at this point and opted for a coffee with mini canolli. Lisa chose the Tiramisu which was more of a cheesecake texture and very dramatic looking! Thick and creamy she said it was one of the nicest desserts she had tasted and asked if it would be possible to move into the restaurant to live asap! (I think we all had the same idea!)
My dessert was the Panacotta which was a lot larger than I thought it would be, and it came with a baby canolli too! The panacotta was so creamy and very flavourful with a deliciously tangy passion fruit gel topping and sorbet. The perfect end to a one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time!
Overall I think I have found a new favourite restaurant. The whole meal and experience was second to none. San Lorenzo was filled with families enjoying Sunday lunches and glasses of wine, the room was filled with laughter and a huge amount of passion. It really does stand out as one of my most recommended places to go in the North East.
We were compensated with a free meal in return for an honest review and paid for drinks ourselves. All views and opinions are our own and genuine.
