Reviews

On Friday I had the pleasure of dining and drinking at Il Pavone. Our invite was perfectly timed as my boyfriend and I were long overdue a nice little date night. I’ve also been healthy eating on the lead up to my holiday in a couple of weeks and I was in need of a good indulgent meal!

Nestled on the bottom floor of the ever so chic Princes square Central Glasgow, Il Pivone is the perfect location for many occasions. Cosied up in a candle lit nook, we ordered some red wine and tried our best to narrow down our food choices as there was SO much to choose from. We had a little nibble on some bread, oil and olives whilst deciding (one of my favourite parts about eating out!)

To start I had the classic Mozzarella sticks, you literally cannot go wrong with them. The dipping sauce it came with was ridiculously YUM! James ordered the Meatballs on recommendation from our lovely waiter. Oh my they were unreal! They also came with a large slice of garlic bread to soak up all the tomato sauce they were served in at the end. Delicious!

We struggled to choose a main because everything on the menu just sounded amazing! I went for the Casareccia Toscana as I just love a pasta dish with a little kick of chilli James ordered the Fettuccine Pavone on our waiters recommendation. You would never dream of putting Cream, black Pudding, Chorizo and Scallops together but believe me it just works! An Il Pivone original for sure, (get your waiter to tell you the story behind this dish and how it ended up on the menu.)

You know that second belly you get when the dessert menu comes out? Yeah we had that. Like 2 big kids we finished our meal off with the Tasty Toffee Tablet Sundae to share. Nostalgic sugary yumminess! Bursting at the seams but there’s always room for dessert!

The cutest evening and the perfect excuse for your next date night. Although next time I’m going with the girls because the cocktail list looked divine and I also spotted the tastiest sounding Antipasti board. It’s the perfect location to kick start any night out.

What we drank:

The cocktail list was well and truly studied (and sampled) and we could find no fault. @scottishfoodbible can testify for the mojitos, @erikuccia1989 recommended the Italian Sunset and @mermaid_harley sipped on a French Martini. The sunshine was warm enough this week to justify a Sex on the Beach for @sinmiraranadie and the olives and breads to start were a delight. The GlasgowLiving gang can vouch for the Prosecco-based cocktails – we went personalised and enjoyed a Strawberry Bellini before going for a glass of Sardinian white wine, which complemented the seafood main perfectly.

What we ate:

A popular dish on the blogger’s night was the Fettucine alla Portofino, recommended by Carlo, the manager and our passionate cameriere for the evening who talked us through the bountiful menu and pointed out his favourite, traditional dishes which have been made by the restaurant for 26 years. Il Pavone is celebrated for seafood dishes, so we went for the Penne Salmone, made with smoked salmon, asparagus, vodka, parmesan and spring onion. The vodka sweetens and adds a touch of the unusual to this delicious dish, and the spirit features in several unexpected places throughout the menu. Intrigued? It was delicious!

The desserts were also fabulous, and the Italian espresso was, perhaps predictably but happily, an excellent end to the meal. Sundaes and cheesecakes were the main attraction. This delicious nutty and lemon sundae’s name eludes me, as I’d asked Carlo to surprise me and I wasn’t disappointed! @Foodie_explorers went for the Tablet Sundae – the perfect mix of Italian and Scottish tradition.