Tucked away amongst the seemingly endless eateries of Bridge Road, St. Domenico don’t have the flash, or instagrammableness of some of the other local eateries, however, what it does have is some great food. The decor is simple, and this small restaurant definitely has an all-round appeal with it’s classic Italian cuisine, and a fairly decent wine list given its size. We visited on a Monday and the atmosphere was calm and laid back – offering a change from some of the more hectic, loud eateries in the area. Ideal for a chilled out catch up with friends.
We decided to sample a range of meals, so we could see everything they had to offer – including their pasta specials, which offer very good value. We ordered the Antipasto Misto to start, which offered a good range of meats, with the addition of cheese, breadsticks and olives. Enjoyable, but when I compare it to other sharing boards, it is perhaps a little pricey for the quality of ingredients presented.
For mains, I went for a classic bolognese. Whilst not the prettiest looking dish in the world – when is it ever – the home made pasta was light, and despite breaking a little too easy was very enjoyable. The sauce had a lot of flavour and a generous amount of good quality mince. My fellow diners opted for the gnocchi napoli, a pizza and the meatballs. The gnocchi was so light and fluffy and was probably the highlight of the evening. The simple sauce complemented it perfectly and really allowed it to shine. The pizza was a generous size, and while I didn’t sample it – it seemed well loaded with toppings – although perhaps a little too much cheese. While I was a little disappointed the meatballs weren’t presented in a skillet – as I’d seen in photos – they were in a delicious rich sauce, and Mr Boring happily gobbled them all up!
Overall, this is a great little Italian, offering Bridge Road diners something a little different from many local places. While they do also offer take away, St Domenico should certainly not be confused with a take-away that’s thrown a few chairs and tables out to allow customers to sit in. They are definitely offering a restaurant dining experience, in a fresh, bright venue. Thanks for having us St Domenico!