Food Review: San Pietro Restaurant

San Pietro in Scunthorpe is a highly acclaimed fine dining restaurant known for its elegant atmosphere and Italian cuisine. But did you know they offer a variety of different menus to suit different budgets and tastes?

The restaurant is owned and run by husband and wife team, Pietro and Michelle Catalano. They have been in business for over 20 years, opening the restaurant back in 2003! The restaurant and hotel are set within a former windmill, which makes this an unforgettable venue, with a beautiful charm about it.

I’ll hold my hands up and say, it’s probably not somewhere I’d ordinarily think to visit for a meal out, but last night was my first experience of dining at San Pietro, and an experience it definitely was! Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not somewhere you’d pop in for tea every week or even every month, but if it’s for a special occasion, date night or you just fancy something a bit special, they’ve got so much selection and a variety and if you feel like the menu is beyond your food knowledge, it’s absolutely fine, because the staff are more than happy to explain and recommend without any judgement.

The ambience of the venue is modern, stylish and very cosy. The staff are welcoming and attentive, providing excellent hospitality that puts you at ease instantly. I don’t know about you, I can’t speak for everyone but when you aren’t accustom to frequenting a fine dining restaurant or you are going somewhere you’ve never eaten before and the preconception is “Will it be a bit posh for me?”, “what if I hold my fork wrong?” , “Am I dressed up enough?” and the big one, when the word
“À la carte” is mentioned on any menu, “Am I going home hungry?”.

All these questions were answered for me and I’ll let you in on it, I was absolutely not still hungry, in fact I was so pleasantly surprised at the portion size and I was very full! When you often see these photos online, you just do not realise, the portions look small but in fact, the plate is just quite large. So let’s get to the food shall we.

Myself and my partner opted for the seasonal Menu del Giorno (Menu of the day) to start we were served a plater of soft homemade foccacia, seasoned extra virgin olive oil, a roasted garlic bulb and olive tapenade.

Tearing the soft warm bread, dipping it in the seasoned oil and thickly spreading the olive tapenade was a thing of beauty. I understand, Olives are an acquired taste but I personally love them.

Complimentary to accompany the menu

On to the starters, choosing our dishes was the hard part because everything just sounded intriguing, tasty and inviting. My partner went for the Chestnut & Autumn mushroom, garlic, parsley and handmade tagliatelle pasta topped with shavings of parmesan and yeast crumb. This was so rich, thick and creamy and for mushroom lovers, it’s a must. The mushroom’s delicate flavour shone in this dish accompanied by the perfectly cooked fresh pasta. The second starter we ordered was a seriously smooth, duck liver parfait (pate), delicately piped in generous amounts around the plate, scattered with crispy confit duck and complimented with a sweet sauce and finely chopped plum for a short, sweet but sharp tang that cuts through the rich creaminess of the duck parfait and of course the soft toasted brioche to load with all of the flavour elements on the plate.

Before our main courses arrived, we were presented with 2 Arancini balls on a decorative tile. Delicate stuffed rice balls coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried until golden brown and crisp outside with a soft, gooey and flavourful centre.

For our main course, my partner went for the vegetarian option of Aubergine Parmigiana accompanied by pasta crisps with black garlic and a bed of seasoned spinach. The tomato sauce was rich and the crunch elements to the dish added further texture to every bite.

I ordered the slow roast pork belly with fennel seeds and garlic, salsa verde, hints of fennel, apple puree and a pork and Masala jus served with it’s own side of cannellini beans. Simply put, it was a slow cooked and generous sized piece of pork belly with beautifully rendered fat and a crisp rind, with bags of flavour. I really enjoyed the pickle element of the dish and the grilled cabbage, it also came with a dish of mashed cannellini beans that had a sweet but earthy taste. And I must say not just this dish but every dish we had was so thoughtfully and carefully curated and created and it showed in the taste, these dishes forced me to look past the fancy presentation and appreciate every individual element on the plate, questioning the flavours and pairing the different textures in each bite to discover different variations in these complex dishes.

We did order sides, but we were getting quite full at this point so maybe eyes bigger than our bellies initially but the truffle and Parmesan chips were delightful, salted, crisp and fluffy inside. They were very moreish and a good portion size for sharing. We also had the charred broccoli, which changes the taste profile and gives a more savoury, bitter “charred” flavour sprinkled with almonds.

Ok, don’t judge, I already said we were full. But could we really leave without trying some of the delicious sounding desserts. You know the answer already.

Before dessert, these delightful shot glasses of smooth pannacotta topped with a mini meringue were brought to the table. I believe it was liquorice flavour but I could be wrong as it did have a butterscotch hint to it. The staff are very good at telling you what you are being served so that helps but it was quite busy in the restaurant with it being a Friday night so I may have misheard that one.

We are nearing the end and if you’ve made it this far, well done! At this point we were fully satisfied with all the dishes and suitably stuffed but so glad we managed to squeeze in the pudding.

Here we have the season star, Sticky Toffee Pannacotta, paired with green apple sorbet, a very cute mini toffee apple, caramel & popcorn, which not only looks impressive it’s a perfect harmony of indulgence and freshness. A little taste of autumn magic!

The other dessert option, I had seen this advertised on San Pietro’s Facebook and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it. The Pistachio and Raspberry Tiramisu- another wow if I’m honest, it just finished off the whole experience, the sweet, smooth and creamy textures with the crunch of the pistachios and the sour contrast of the cold raspberry sorbet scoop on top. Another surprise when you got beneath the creamy surface was a soft sponge rippled with fresh raspberry coulis.

All in all, we loved it from start to finish! Thumbs up and it will be on our list to visit again on a special occasion or treat night. And you’ve seen all of this food we got above, if you are thinking “I bet that’s well expensive!” or you are comparing it to other restaurants, of course it’s not cheap but it’s not out of reach either, and you can definitely be paying more than that even at the well known takeaway chains and pubs. It’s actually really good value because not only is the food amazing, it’s a journey of taste discovery and a dining experience, it’s a night out not just a meal.

What I’m saying is, don’t think it’s too upmarket for you or too posh because it is a really down to earth restaurant with no ego and just great service, atmosphere and flavours.

The price for the Menu del Giorno is as follows:

2 Courses – £29.50
3 Courses – £38.00

The menu changes with the season, so if you want to try this, get booked in!