Located on London Road, Virginia Water, behind the walls of the very plain white looking Piccolino building is a restaurant that boasts an open kitchen, wine and cocktail bar and a substantial alfresco terrace.
Having never eaten there it was a real treat to go for lunch for none other than my birthday.
We sat in the alfresco terrance which features a fully retractable roof and heaters to ensure the ultimate alfresco experience rain or shine. The shade of Liz Earle blue the chairs were more like a comfortable sofa, there’s no surprise you could spend hours there.
Menus galore there is a dish to suit most including those with dietary requirements. So what did we have?
Aberdeen Angus & Hereford 28 Days Aged Fillet Steak
The steak, oh the steak was in-cred-ible. The kind that had a gorgeous flavour, char on the outside, yet oh so tender it melted in the mouth. The accompanying choice of sauce, peppercorn in this case, could have done with being double the size. It is also important to note that the sides are extra, some of which expensive for what it was. If you do go for a side, the chips were some of the best around, crunchy and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Ravioli di Granchio – Hand-picked crab, chilli, lemon, basil & shellfish butter
I haven’t had pasta like that since, well, Italy! Yes it was that scrumptious. The ravioli had a slight bite, the filling of the hand-picked crab was jam packed and flavoured beautifully with a slight kick of spice, and the butter sauce just brought the whole dish together. There are two sizes to choose from, the above being the larger one.
Pancetta Di Maiale – Slow cooked pork belly with radicchio, orange, balsamic & thyme
Tortino al Cioccoloato – Warm chocolate fondant stuffed with chocolate truffles & vanilla ice cream
Anyone else head straight for the dessert menu when deciding what to eat? Unsurprisingly there are some classic Italian desserts of panna cotta, affogato and tiramisu but also other favourites of cheesecake, crème brûlée and chocolate fondant. The latter was decadent, rich and light. I mean look at that shine of liquid chocolate cold.
Blackberry & Bilberry Gelato, Mango & vanilla iced yoghurt, Passion fruit sorbet with a baked hazelnut biscotti
After a filling main, gelato and sorbet was the one for me. With an array of flavours you could choose 1 or 3 scoops. Blackberry & bilberry was an absolute win. Fruity, slightly tart and acidic, it was that good I wish you could just buy a shipload of it.
With a relaxed atmosphere and delicious food that leaves you wanting more, it was a truly lovely treat. 100% a visit to Picollino will be on the horizon again soon.
Nibbles ‘n’ Scribbles
Thirty something blogging since 2014. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Please feel free to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you all.
