When the boy and I first met, he took me to a lovely little place on Irongate called The European Restaurant, for a memorable birthday meal. 28 years of age I think. Sigh... For some reason we haven't been back since, although it has always been on my radar.
http://www.theeuropeanrestaurant.co.uk/
I was checking out their website a few weeks ago and noticed that they hold a monthly Italian evening, focusing on a different region each month, with a 5 course menu for £19.90. The next one was due to be held on 31 May, conveniently this is our anniversary so this seemed like a perfect excuse to go out for a 5 course meal! The theme this month was Sardinan food, which felt even more appropriate as we have fond memories of a holiday in Sardinia and the wonderful food we ate.
The European is situated directly opposite the cathedral with great views. The atmosphere when we arrived was buzzy and lively, there was definitely a sense of occasion and people obviously come back every month. The staff were lovely, and owner and chef Gian Carlo came out of the kitchen a few times to greet returning customers and friends.
The menu was as follows:
No, I couldn't understand it all either.
To start with we had a kind of seafood kebab with prawns, mussels and peppers, drizzled with a spicy, piquant sauce.
This was followed, as is the tradition, by a small bowl of orzo pasta (like small conchigli) with a very tasty lamb ragu.
Next up was a fish course, expertly cooked grey mullet wrapped in a steamed cabbage leaf, again with a delicious sauce (sauces seem to be a strong point here).
Then came tender pork escalopes with crushed potatoes and the freshest broad beans.
All this was washed down with a crisp pinot grigio, the wine list isn't huge but still manages to be comprehensive. You can get a half litre carafe or wines by the glass but we had a bottle.
Dessert was a wonderfully orangey, panna cotta-y concoction, which we wolfed down.
Despite the five course action, portions were perfectly judged, so that we felt full but not uncomfortably so and managed to do each course justice. For the price this is fantastic value, and a really good experience, they certainly know their Italian food here, and you can't beat it for a special occasion.
The next Italian evening is 28 June, with food from the Emilia-Romagna region (the capital is Bologna). See you there.
http://www.theeuropeanrestaurant.co.uk/
I was checking out their website a few weeks ago and noticed that they hold a monthly Italian evening, focusing on a different region each month, with a 5 course menu for £19.90. The next one was due to be held on 31 May, conveniently this is our anniversary so this seemed like a perfect excuse to go out for a 5 course meal! The theme this month was Sardinan food, which felt even more appropriate as we have fond memories of a holiday in Sardinia and the wonderful food we ate.
The European is situated directly opposite the cathedral with great views. The atmosphere when we arrived was buzzy and lively, there was definitely a sense of occasion and people obviously come back every month. The staff were lovely, and owner and chef Gian Carlo came out of the kitchen a few times to greet returning customers and friends.
The menu was as follows:
No, I couldn't understand it all either.
To start with we had a kind of seafood kebab with prawns, mussels and peppers, drizzled with a spicy, piquant sauce.
Next up was a fish course, expertly cooked grey mullet wrapped in a steamed cabbage leaf, again with a delicious sauce (sauces seem to be a strong point here).
Then came tender pork escalopes with crushed potatoes and the freshest broad beans.
All this was washed down with a crisp pinot grigio, the wine list isn't huge but still manages to be comprehensive. You can get a half litre carafe or wines by the glass but we had a bottle.
Dessert was a wonderfully orangey, panna cotta-y concoction, which we wolfed down.
The next Italian evening is 28 June, with food from the Emilia-Romagna region (the capital is Bologna). See you there.
1 comment:
With becoming a parent recently, I've not really had the opportunity to go out. However, you're blog has reminded me of how much I miss The European (although I miss very little else 'out there')and their menu as I was a semi-regular for a long time. Unfortunately, I've only ever taken 'the girl' there once and it was for one of their Italian nights. I think the time is approaching to convince 'her indoors' that we have to, at some point, trust someone to babysit and revisit The European.
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