Sorrento

I'm not sure whether what I am going to post is relevant as I was here about 7 years ago. I ordered risotto, classic Italian dish, so I thought I couldn't go wrong. After a long wait, the dish was cooked with long grain rice. It's the creamy risotto rice what gives the name to the dish. I haven't been back there since.

Very friendly service and excellent food

Sorrento Upminster This was surprisingly our first visit to Sorrento which is a long and well established Italian restaurant in Upminster , Essex. The reviews that we’d seen have been mostly good so we thought it was about time to see for ourselves. We decided to go for an early evening dinner on saturday and due to being fully booked were given a time for the table to be returned which for us was fine. We arrived and was given a friendly welcome before being asked where we’d like to be seated. We chose a table next to the bar which gave us a great view of the restaurant. The rustic feel of the restaurant does remind you of the old days but the nice thing is that you do think you are in a little village in Italy. The staff were very friendly and just like the Italian way are constantly chatting to each other. We started with a drink while we looked at the extensive menu as well as a great selection of dishes on the specials board. Starters - We decided to start with the Grilled Sardines from the specials board and the Polpettine Napoli which were meatballs in a tomato sauce with toasted ciabatta. When the dishes arrived the presentation was very basic but the most important thing was that the food was delicious. Mains - Now on to the main course where my wife chose the Sea Bass all’ Aglio which was sea bass fillets with butter , garlic and tomato. For myself I opted for the Veal T.Bone with butter and sage of the specials board. We also ordered a side of Zucchini Fritte. Now here is where we were a mixture of highs and lows. Let’s start with the highs. The Sea Bass was delicious and my Veal T.Bone was a definite 10/10. Unfortunately the lows were the bland selection of vegetables (cabbage , carrots and broccoli) that seem to come with every meat or fish dish. It really was a shame. Desserts - After a nice little break it was time for desserts and we chose two from the specials. They were the Lemon Delizia a lemon sponge cake filled with a lemon custard and the Pasteria an orange flavoured neopolitan tart. Both desserts were a delight and a nice way to finish. We finished with a coffee to bring to and end a delightful visit to Sorrento. The food was very good and yes does take you back in time a bit. The staff were excellent and their friendliness is hard to beat. So yes if you don’t want modern but want to enjoy good food in a nice friendly atmosphere then yes I would recommend a visit. As I said the only little downside was the vegetables served with the main courses. The average price for 3 Courses is £45 so good value for money. Thank You for a lovely evening and hope to see you again soon.

Always a lovely experience - consistently great food, service & ambience

First time in years, since I was there and the food was excellent. Service was very efficient and helpful. It's worth another visit soon.

Lovely friendly place to have Italian.