Late Satuday afternoon and we had no reservation for anywhere that evening. We wanted to go out but the rain meant we wanted somewhere we had a table booked as queuing was not an option!
We managed to book online for a table at Sapore though for later on and so Steve and I enjoyed a date in an intimate and romantic Italian bistro.
Sapore is quite small and as soon as you enter you're in the middle of the dining room. The tables a pretty close together so having to wait for a table does mean you're stood over someone eating. There is a bar area ahead but when we arrived there were already people milling around there.
Luckily we did not have to wait long for our table and we settled down quickly. We did not have to wait long for drinks or to order and food came promptly.
We managed to book online for a table at Sapore though for later on and so Steve and I enjoyed a date in an intimate and romantic Italian bistro.
Sapore is quite small and as soon as you enter you're in the middle of the dining room. The tables a pretty close together so having to wait for a table does mean you're stood over someone eating. There is a bar area ahead but when we arrived there were already people milling around there.
Luckily we did not have to wait long for our table and we settled down quickly. We did not have to wait long for drinks or to order and food came promptly.
I enjoyed the house made potato gnocchi with braised rabbit in a tomato sauce with Parmesan. The gnocchi was light, pillowy and soft and the rabbit and tomato sauce were just such great flavours - sweet tomato, savoury rabbit. This was the highlight!
Steve started with porcini mushroom risotto with truffled mascarpone & Parmesan. I appreciated the presentation of this dish as it's so hard to make grey rice appealing. It was rich and deep and creamy and a very good risotto. Not as good as the gnocchi but still very good.
This was a great start!
Steve started with porcini mushroom risotto with truffled mascarpone & Parmesan. I appreciated the presentation of this dish as it's so hard to make grey rice appealing. It was rich and deep and creamy and a very good risotto. Not as good as the gnocchi but still very good.
This was a great start!
Main courses we went for were:
The duck was done very well. The confit was slightly crispy and salty and the breast was much more gamey, meaty and tender. The butternut squash puree was sweet and cinammon-y and just gorgeous with the duck. My guess was the tre modi was duck confit, duck breast and also the blob of duck liver parfait thing which wasn't a great duck liver creation. But everything else worked.
Interesting that each plate had one flaw according to our tastes but certainly the other aspects outweighed and made up for the shortcomings.
We also enjoyed some sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon which were deliciously charred round the edges although a little greasy.
- “12 hour Greenvale Farm rare breed pork belly” with cabbage, fennel, granny smith apple sauce & a crisp crochette
- Duck ‘tre modi’ with baby spinach, butternut pumpkin and Masala-sultana sauce
The duck was done very well. The confit was slightly crispy and salty and the breast was much more gamey, meaty and tender. The butternut squash puree was sweet and cinammon-y and just gorgeous with the duck. My guess was the tre modi was duck confit, duck breast and also the blob of duck liver parfait thing which wasn't a great duck liver creation. But everything else worked.
Interesting that each plate had one flaw according to our tastes but certainly the other aspects outweighed and made up for the shortcomings.
We also enjoyed some sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon which were deliciously charred round the edges although a little greasy.
We shared dessert - Limoncello semifreddo with Manuka honey sabayon, honeycomb & fresh berries. The slab of semifreddo was sweet and creamy with a hint of alcohol as an aftertaste making it feel grown up and decadent. The raspberries added a much needed tartness. I think I'd have liked the semi freddo to be just a touch sharper or citrussy. This tasted it was lemon scented rather than lemon flavoured. Having said that it was still delicious and very enjoyable.
Sapore is a great little restaurant and I would return for the gnocchi in a heartbeat. The only thing that I hesitate is that our table was not one of the best situated. It was just off centre in the dining room and because the tables are all so close together the walkways between them are quite tight and I kept feeling like I had to dodge the waitstaff and other customers that walked past. I think that sitting at the edge of the dining room in the banquette area or in any of the corners would eliminate this problem so I'd probably ask for one of those tables next time.
Other than that quibble, it's a lovely, romantic, upmarket Italian that retains the charm of a local trattoria and perfect place for a wet and cold Saturday night.
Sapore is a great little restaurant and I would return for the gnocchi in a heartbeat. The only thing that I hesitate is that our table was not one of the best situated. It was just off centre in the dining room and because the tables are all so close together the walkways between them are quite tight and I kept feeling like I had to dodge the waitstaff and other customers that walked past. I think that sitting at the edge of the dining room in the banquette area or in any of the corners would eliminate this problem so I'd probably ask for one of those tables next time.
Other than that quibble, it's a lovely, romantic, upmarket Italian that retains the charm of a local trattoria and perfect place for a wet and cold Saturday night.
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