🌸 zizzi's review... 🌸

After a long week of work (and a morning of doing my hair), I took myself to Zizzi's. Zizzi's is an Italian branded restaurant which focuses on well, Italian food which is brought to the UK. I first found out about it from a close friend (after we went over during my time off work).

To start off, you are met with a warm, comforting interior as-well as an in house kitchen (as a bonus for picky people like myself, you can see how food is prepared which is a good thing, at least it helps you be aware of what you eat when going out).

The interior, well from the angle of where I was sitting. Please excuse the .6 warped camera view.

When seated, you get a menu (obviously) with a variety of dishes from nibbles, starters to pizza, pasta, chicken or beef dishes and more. You also get a complimentary bowl of pasta crisps, a dash of paprika giving it an extra kick and flavour. There wasn't anything to complain about where service was concerned as wait staff were attentive to your needs - also, there is a 2 course set menu for 28.95.

Pasta crisps.

I ordered my usual: a king prawn spedini for a starter and the classic spaghetti bolognese (which is called bolognese classico). Of course, I also purchased wine - settled for a 250ml of malbec. The red wine is usually complimentary for pasta dishes, especially rich ones with beef.

The king prawns are served on a skewer with a lemon (well, ½ a lemon) and a harissa dip. The dip was slightly cold but otherwise nice. As for the prawns, there is a slight hint of spice but nothing too much. A hint of paprika was added in for again, a slight kick.

The king prawn spiedini. At least it isn't a piece of naan bread hanging off (referring to Kitchen Nightmares UK - the Curry Lounge).

And the harissa dip, more or less a mix of tomato sauce and chilli.

Next was the main dish, the bolognese classico - served with chittara spaghetti. I made the mistake of taking a first bite when it was hot so left it to cool for a good few minutes before eating. The dish is what you would expect from an Italian classic, pasta, beef, tomatoes, onions and a basil garnish to finish off. Whilst the dish is fresh, I needed some salt and pepper (due to lack of seasoning). You have the option to add grated parmesan cheese (I chose not to as I am very funny/selective with cheese in certain foods - texture aversion) as-well - the waiter grates for you. The dish was filling and refreshing to eat (since I was hungry for most of the day due to only having a cappuccino and muffin, great diet right? Not).

The Italian classic. Need I say more? Wish for more beef.

To finish off, there was dessert. What is better than the Italian classic, tiramisu? A creamy no-bake dessert that goes way back from the 1960's with espresso soaked lady-fingers (a type of biscuit), marscapone and chocolate powder to finish off. I do admit, I didn't finish the whole thing as I felt full - normally when feeling this way I'd opt for something lighter such as sorbet (a palette cleanser). I really love a good tiramisu though, especially after a long week.

The Italian classic, served in a bowl.

The meal came to a total of just over £50 (well, £50.16 if you want exact figures). You get a complimentary hot chocolate to close off the meal (if I make sense), something light and warm. To add, there is an app you can use (which IIRC allows you to pay for items via card whilst securing rewards, similar to Pizza Express). I don't like using apps to pay for food much.

Hot chocolate.

So, would I recommend Zizzi's? Sure, I would. If comforting Italian food is your thing then go for it. Although, I'm not sure if actual Italians would be satisfied with the menu choices. I do have a friend who is born and bred in Italy (if you know who you are, hey!) and let's just say he can be picky with adaptations of his native cuisine (I showed him the Greggs equivalent of a marhgarita pizza and let's just say he was pissed).

So, give it a try. ♡