Rome/Lazio

-Abbacchio alla Cacciatora
Pieces of lamb cut on the bone from a Leg of Lamb, braised with white wine, olive oil, crushed garlic , fresh rosemary, wine vinegar –ideal with green beans warmed with a sprinkling of aged parmesan.

-Tagliato di Manzo
Thick cut slices of Entrecote or Fillet of beef, marinaded with seasoning and garlic and cooked on a skillet in the oven , served with sautéed sliced potato.

-Spigola in Aquapazza
Sea bass in ‘mad water’ cooked gently for 20 minutes with a hint only of garlic, dried chilli pepper, parsley and cherry tomatoes, and 2 cups of boiling water added, all the ingredients and  tastes sealed with the fish and released only when cooked and served.

-Pasta alla Checa
A summer tomato pasta of spaghetti with fresh Buffalo mozzarella and basilico.

-Pollo alla Romana
Best quality free range chicken pieces cooked with pancetta, dry white wine - usually a Frascati- rich juicy flavoured tomatoes and mixed red and yellow ( the colours of AC Roma football club) bell peppers.

-Pasticcio di Maccheroni con Melanzane
An oven baked pasta based around fresh herbs, aubergines mozzarella cheese and freshly prepared  spiced tomato sauce.

-Tagliolini al Salmone
Soft strips of pasta cooked fresh with smoked salmon, butter, light single cream, a small softened chopped onion and black pepper- with lemon and fresh parsley added if you wish.

-Involtini di Carne e Carciofi
Veal or thinly sliced soft beef rolled with olive oil, artichokes, sliced floury potato, onion, wine &fresh herbs and braised in a light stock ( also Involtini with Melanzane based on aubergine, egg and freshly prepared tomato passata)

Venice/Veneto & Friuli

-Polpette con salsa pomodori
Small meatballs of beef and pork mixed with soft mashed potato, parmesan and herbs and served with a freshly prepared light tomato sauce.

-Risottos
( various ) made ONLY TO ORDER AND NEVER PRE-COOKED!!with pesce ( shell and small sea fish); verdure (fresh vegetables and herbs); asparagus with scampi/small langoustines; and  mushroom, garlic, parmesan cheese & herbs)

-Spaghetti con Castraure e Gamberi
Served simply with lightly cooked fresh artichokes and prawns.

-Anatra in Padella con acciughe e capperi
Duck breasts cooked in  a pan with onion, pancetta, anchovy fillets and capers with herbs and wine, lovely with roasted potato and wilted greens or radicchio braised with oil in a low pan.

-Lasagnette di Pesce
Mixed seafood lasagne with a light béchamel sauce.

-Zucca e Funghi al forno
Roasted pumpkin and mixed mushrooms oven cooked with oil, a touch of wine, rosemary, garlic and grated parmesan cheese.

Looking for a special night out?

Let our chef at La Cantina prepare you an evening meal to remember. For that special occasion or a simple break in routine. Come dine with us and spice up your life with the taste of Italy. 

In addition to our daytime and early evening menu we offer to our customers  one or several dishes for evening diners from 6-30 pm through to around 10-30/11-00 pm Wednesday to Saturday   based around a small selection of authentic, freshly prepared to order Italian cuisine. You can eat well from around £14 to £20 or spend more if you wish to have a larger meal of several courses.

Italy and its food is very regional and our cooking is based primarily from typical dishes served in Rome ( which we know well having lived in Rome for over 6 years !!) and Venice with its  adjoining Veneto &  Friuli regions of the north; where our family roots and heritage are based.

Dishes are reasonably priced, generally at £9 to £14  and using quality fresh produce combining simplicity with taste- as in Italy generally. They can be eaten as standalone dishes, will generally be available with one or more Italian style of vegetables ( which are generally served separately ), or our salads,  or you may wish to combine any dish with some of our other main day time menu items to provide a fuller ‘3 course’ type meal.

We are buying fresh produce daily and so whilst we only generally prepare a range of 1-3 main courses, if diners pre notify us with a booking we can try to ensure we cover off their requests in and around this and source the fresh ingredients needed to cover those.

Other regions

-Burrida
A rich fish stew with vegetables, stock and fresh herbs) from Liguria region

-Brodo Siciliana di Aragosta
Chopped and braised/lightly cooked pieces of lobster with tomato and hint of peperoncino chille and served in a slightly soupy ‘brodo’ ( light broth ) with pasta from Sicily

-Linguine Cozze
Steamed and then lightly sauted fresh and cleaned mussels with herbs and seasoning and a light freshly chopped and softened tomatoes with garlic and black pepper) from the city of Napoli/Campania  region

-Pesce Spada alla Griglia with Salsa
Grilled swordfish with a light dressing of lemon, parsley, garlic, seasoning  and oil from Sicily and Calabria

-Lasagna
A speciality of Liz learned from an old authentic Italian recipe-trade secret!!- freshly prepared from best quality ingredients lovingly cooked based on Emilia Romagna regionality;
also Vincisgrasse and Sagne Chine ,variations of rich lasagne dishes from the Marche in the north and Calabria at the toe of Italy