Piccolino Restaurant Review | Leeds

Hey There!

I feel like I need to post a bit of an update since recently I've had quite a lot going on.

Between choosing a new house for next year (as well as housemates), my mum coming to visit me, and general university stress I've been super busy lately!

So one of the highlights of the past week or so was my mum coming to see me for a couple of days to spend her birthday with me, which has been really lovely!

My mum and I are really close and I thought I'd do something nice for her to make sure she has a lovely birthday.

So on Monday I decided to take her out for a nice meal at an Italian restaurant called Piccolino.

It is part of chain called Individual Restaurants, which operate around the UK. 

I had been there once before and absolutely loved it, which made me want to come back and then share this with others!

Upon arriving there, we were greeted by a maitre who offered to take our coats and then showed us to our table. It was a Monday evening so the place was quite empty, allowing us to have a quiet dinner. 

We ordered a bottle of rosé prosecco to celebrate the occasion, and it was a nice addition to the overall sophisticated ambiance of our dining experience. 

We were given complimentary olives and some delicious fresh bread with olive oil to dip it into. It was hard to resist eating it all, but we had to make room for the actual food. 

We order a starter to share, and although we were tempted to try everything on the menu, we settled for a simplistic, but yet delicious dish of melon wrapped in prosciutto. 

It was light and refreshing, and whilst it is a simple dish it is nevertheless an Italian staple.

Next, we were brought our main course dishes. I decided to try the Risotto con Zucca - risotto with butternut squash and parma ham, garnished with crispy prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese. My mum chose another delicious dish - the Ravioli al Granchio. Handmade ravioli, stuffed with hand-picked crab, served with olive oil, garlic and chilli. I had to try a bit of hers just because of how decadent it sounded, and I was equally impressed with both dishes. 

The ravioli were large and had a fantastic dough-to-crabmeat ratio, where you could really distinguish the flavour of the decadent meat. The fact that it was served without an overpowering dressing was perfect. 

The risotto was smooth and creamy, yet still al dente as it should be. The butternut squash added to the creaminess, whilst the parma ham gave it a subtle smoky taste, perfectly accompanying the kick that the gorgonzola provided. 

Both dishes were served hot, flavours smoothly melting together to create a beautiful concoction. We opted for small portions, which were enough to fill us both up considering we had the starter as well. 

After we had finished our meal, we were given the desert menu and there were a lot of things that tempted me, such as the molten chocolate cake served with caramel ice cream, and the passionfruit cheesecake. 

However, before I could make my mind up, they brought out a large plate with a sparkler, some chocolate truffles and a chocolate writing saying "Happy Birthday Maria!" It was such a lovely touch and put a huge smile on my mum's face, which truly wrapped up our wonderful evening. 

I will definitely be coming back there for another special treat, especially since the price to quality ratio is very reasonable and you get what you pay for. The staff were very polite and friendly, and we never felt rushed or neglected. 

I hope you've enjoyed this restaurant review, as I'm hoping to be writing a lot more of these in the future!

Until Next Time, 

Sofia xx