SPOTLIGHT ON… San Carlo, Liverpool
WORDS: Kevin Evans
Best for... Authentic Italian food
San Carlo has been a staple of the Liverpool restaurant scene since 2009, which is an amazing achievement by any standard. With its classic luxury Italian format, it clearly has lasted the test of time. This year the Liverpool venue has gone through a major £3.5m renovation, offering a spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on Italian dining with elegant interiors inspired by Grand Milanese villas and gardens. The impressive 211 cover restaurant includes a new feature bar area where customers are able to enjoy post dinner drinks and late lounge music on Friday and Saturday nights. The former bank vault is now The Rosa Room – a spectacular private dining room with its own bar on the lower ground floor, perfect for those birthday or special party celebrations. The grand reopening has seen the return of San Carlo’s traditional Italian menu with the signature favourites making a comeback, alongside some new introductions.
On arrival we were in awe of the new refurbishment, it really wows! We were greeted by Vanessa at the bar who is an absolute credit to the front of house team. Vanessa was warm and friendly and as it was a really hot summer's day, she suggested we started with a limoncello spritz – this sweet citrusy long drink cooled us down immediately and was a great recommendation. After relaxing and chatting at the bar we were moved to our table in the main restaurant to review the new menu –and boy were we spoilt for choice. It’s clear to see how San Carlo have stayed the distance as there were so many things that we wanted to try it will require many visits to try them all.
We opted to try the Burrata al Pomodoro and Gamberoni Luciana, both were so elegantly presented but the prawns cooked in a buttery chilli sauce were the standout here, extra bread required to unapologetically mop up the remaining delicious sauce. For mains we went with the Pollo Diavola (pan-fired chicken breast with Nduja sausage and tomato sauce) and the Agnello Toscana (lamb cutlets with Barolo red wine, rosemary and sun-blushed tomato sauce) which had a buttery texture and the sauce was so rich and complimented the lamb so well – I would highly recommend this dish. We also ordered a side of sautéed potatoes with rosemary and pancetta – boy were these great - do not miss out on these and make sure you order them when you eat here. James our waiter offered up some great recommendations for wine, we went with a Vermentino Di Gallura – this was a robust smooth white with hints of rosemary and peach, which complimented the dishes we ordered perfectly.
On to dessert – we were going to skip this as we were starting to get full, however, we saw the table next to us having desserts which looked so good that we were swayed. We went with the classic Tiramisu, which didn’t disappoint; rich, sweet and punchy amaretto and coffee flavour and the Millefoglie; crisp layers of puff pastry layered with set Chantilly cream which was an absolute favourite.
Our visit to San Carlo was so enjoyable, it felt as though along with the refurbishment the service and the food had also been refreshed and we couldn’t fault it. The staff were so warm and welcoming and really made the experience special. It’s clear to see that San Carlo will continue to be a stalwart of the Liverpool restaurant scene and I for one can’t wait for our next visit.
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