Piccolino, 18 Bridge Street, York

12:16pm Saturday 2nd August 2008

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Nadia Jefferson-brown takes the measure of York’s new Italian.

IT’S a brave restaurateur who boldly ventures where many others have gone before.

Piccolino certainly isn’t the first Italian to open in York and won’t be the last. However, our recent visit proved that it has already made its mark on the eating-out scene.

I hadn’t thought it would be necessary to book for just two on a Monday night as Piccolino is still so fresh on York’s radar.

But the Bridge Street venue was bustling when we arrived shortly after 8.30pm, after a leisurely stroll across Ouse Bridge, and I was relieved they were able to fit us in.

I counted 80 other diners in a rough head count while Gary pored over the drinks menu.

Relaxing into my comfortable leather seat we decided to share a bottle of wine and ordered the Sangiovese Roccamora.

At £14.25, it just happened to be one of the cheapest bottles on offer – something to bear in mind the next time moths take up residence in my purse. But it was enjoyable and fairly smooth, both on its own and with our food.

The restaurant is large, but carefully designed with several booth-style round tables for groups around the edge, making it an ideal destination for parties, along with tables for varying numbers in the middle. We were sandwiched between two tables of four, but the constant hum of chatter ensured we didn’t feel the need to talk in hushed tones as is the case in some deathly quiet restaurants.

We ordered mixed olives, which were marinated with chilli, garlic and herbs (£2.95) to pick at while we waited. They were tasty and meaty, with plenty to go at.

Gary had been looking forward to a plate of mixed meats for the Antipasti. However, the obvious choice – Antipasto Misto – cost £13.25, which we felt was a bit steep, unless we shared.

As I had my eye on other temptations, he missed out on the cured ham, melon, olives, artichokes, grilled tuna and bean salad, tomato bruschetta, mozzarella, bresaola rolled with rocket and parmesan.

Instead Gary went for the carpaccio (£7.95) – thinly sliced beef fillet with rocket leaves and “shaved” Parmesan which was actually more of a wedge.

He enjoyed the beef which he described as good quality, very tender and succulent, and in plentiful supply, working well with the salad leaves.

However, it didn’t leave a lasting impression and he said he probably wouldn’t order it again.

There was a strong choice of starters to wade through, including various seafood dishes such as sautéed king prawns and lightly fried squid.

The sautéed chicken livers, with grapes, marsala wine and pine nuts intrigued me (£6.35) but I finally opted for the Polpettine di ippoglosso e granchio (£6.75) – a dish of three crab and halibut fishcakes with peperonata.

The cakes were encased in a fairly crisp coating with small chunks of halibut peeping out from the crab meat which was subtle but tasty. They came on a bed of peppers in a piquant sauce which had a surprising, but pleasant kick. For my main course, I was very tempted by the roast halibut with seafood and saffron risotto, lemon and parsley dressing (£18.75), but didn’t want to overload on fish.

The Tuscan sausage with cannelloni and borlotti beans and tomato sauce (£11.95) also sounded worth a try.

But I chose the Troffiette al pollo e asparagi (£9.95) – chargrilled chicken with spring vegetables, parmesan cream and toasted pine nuts, and didn’t regret it.

Attractively served in a deep, wide-rimmed white bowl, it came with a generous amount of large, succulent strips of chicken.

The bite-size pieces of broccoli were nice and crunchy, adding texture to the dish, as were the fine slices of carrot.

The sauce was creamy without being too rich, and boasted a distinct taste of parmesan while the toasted pine nuts added a special extra something. I was impressed with the dish, and am hatching plans to try and recreate it a casa mia.

There were several pizzas from which to choose (£5.95 to £9.50), offering a choice for every taste including spicy sausage, marinated prawns, chargrilled chicken, Italian cured ham, as well as three vegetarian choices, including roast Mediterranean vegetables.

Gary chose the quattro stagioni which was divided into sections for the Italian cured ham, wild mushrooms, roasted sweet peppers, buffalo mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes (£9.50).

Gary declared it the best pizza he’d eaten for quite some time. Clearly home-made, the base was cooked to perfection – thin and crispy, as it should be. It had a rustic feel to it with the toppings almost casually thrown on rather than neatly segregated. There were sufficient toppings without being overfacing.

Even though we were suitably full, I twisted Gary’s arm to share the Budino al cioccolata (£5) in the interests of a thorough review.

This chocolate fudge pudding was deliciously moist with steam rising from the middle when I sliced through the sponge.

The scoop of vanilla ice-cream, carefully placed on top with a sprig of mint, was creamy and worked well with the warm dark chocolate sauce.

Other choices of sweets included various ice-creams (£4.50), sorbets (£4.50) and regional Italian cheeses (£5.95), profiteroles (£5), baked vanilla cheesecake with citrus blueberries (£5.75) and shots of espresso with Amaretto and vanilla ice-cream (£3.95).

Our bill came to about £60 which seemed reasonable considering how much we’d enjoyed our meal.

Nadia went to Piccolino on Monday, July 21.

Piccolino, 18 Bridge Street, York. Tel 01904 521155.

Fact file

Food: good

Service: friendly

Value: fair

Ambience: relaxed

Disabled toilets: Yes