Eating out review of Little Sicily, Bishop Auckland

Which is true.

READ HERE: EATING OUT REVIEW OF THE BAKE, BISHOP AUCKLAND'S LEBANESE RESTAURANT

So with Little Sicily, we’ll begin at the end: it is another Italian. It does pizza, it does pasta, it does pollo, it does parmos.

It has been open for a couple of months in a hangar on the new out-of-town retail park at St Helen Auckland, and it is so new that the website that it shares with its sister outlet in Durham is a bit of a mess.

The home page highlights dishes that don’t appear on the menu, it is very difficult to work out how to book a table, there’s Latin template words – “integer congue malesuada eros” – and there’s a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that’s even more pompous than my kebab shop review. It says: “A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.”

Difficulties with the website hadn’t deterred any customers on Saturday night as, at 7pm, with getting on for 100 people inside, there were people queuing for a seat. Indeed, it is proving so popular that they have just announced they are going to add a mezzanine level to accommodate more diners.

Little Sicily at Fieldon Bridge, Bishop AucklandThere was a noisy but jolly atmosphere. The hangar is not conducive to a quiet, intimate evening, but it is a place for parties: there were 25 people celebrating a 60th birthday on our right and another birthday party on our left for whom the lights were dimmed as a cake came out and everyone was encouraged to sing to Paul.

There were plenty of staff, some running down the tight aisles in their enthusiasm. There was a maitre d’ who was in charge of affairs, and another waiter who seemed to be in charge of vibes, grooving to the beat and loudly clapping his hands – he was like the Bez of Bishop Auckland, making sure this was a happy Saturday.

The menu is as you would expect in an Italian, and it is affordable: a Margherita pizza is £8, pasta starts at £10 and pollo at £14. The tables in front of us and behind us both took delivery of the top-of-the-range Tomahawk steak (£35), which looked extraordinary and, with its long bone curving ergonomically, was big enough to be considered an offensive weapon in other hands.

Petra, my wife, and I started by sharing a roasted camembert (above), one of the most expensive starters at £11. Served with plenty of naan bread, it was a large dish for a single person. The camembert was gently oozy and creamy, and very pleasant. It would have been even better had we been able to taste the rosemary and garlic that it was supposed to have been topped with.

For her main course, Petra decided to have two more starters: beetroot salad topped with Parma ham (£8) (above) and King Prawns (£10) (below). The menu said the prawns would come in a spicy tomato sauce; the waitress offered to ensure there wasn’t any chilli in it, and it came, as promised, in a rich, heat-free sauce which soaked into the bread base. With plenty of large, juicy prawns, Petra really enjoyed this dish.

Her salad had plenty of beetroot and ham among the greenery, but could have done with a more prominent dressing, and there wasn’t oil or vinegar on the table.

For my main course, I had chosen the Pollo Little Sicily (£19) (above) which, basically, was chicken with everything thrown at it: sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, ham, garlic and a wonderfully rich, red Napoli sauce. Served with a little green salad and a kind of ratatouille of vegetables, and a pail of chips, it was a great collection of chicken-related tastes on one plate.

Desserts were £5.50 and were a predictable popular selection of fudge cakes and brownies. I chose the only Italian-looking one, the tiramisu (above), which was a light, creamy, chocolatey piece of pleasantness, even if it didn’t have much of a coffee taste to it, and even if it came with a Mr Whippy-style swirl of ice cream rather than a scoop of genuine gelato.

With soft drinks and a coffee, our bill came to £66. Service was fast throughout and the atmosphere was lively throughout.

While the food didn’t quite touch the divine tenderness and the superb smokiness of the kebab down the mall, it was all you would expect from your friendly local Italian.

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Little Sicily, Bishop Auckland

Website: littlesicily2.co.uk
Address: Unit 8, Bridge Retail park, Fieldon, Bishop Auckland DL14 9AA
Phone: 01388 854448

Ratings
Service: 8
Ambience: 8
Food quality: 7
Value for money: 8