An Italian Fairytale

I can't remember when I spotted Pinocchio, but I do know it's been on my restaurant wish list ever since I first clapped eyes on it.  It's not somewhere I've ever heard mentioned and I've not seen any reviews, I literally just stumbled across it one day and after a little look through the window I decided I wanted to give it a go.

So when a Living Social deal flashed up on my phone I took it as a sign and booked a table.    The deal was a Starter, Main and a Glass of Wine for two people for £18.00 (I can't say enough how much I love Living Social and I am going to do a blog post all about it soon!)

Pinocchio is an Italian restaurant in the centre of Newcastle and if, like me, you spend a lot of your time with your head up in the clouds and enjoy a good fairy tale it's a bit of a gem.

The restaurant is so charming, from it's pale blue exterior to the beautiful Pinocchio murals on the walls there is so much to look at.   The space is pretty big and there are loads of tables yet as the restaurant is split into four little sections it's the perfect place for an intimate date or a catch up with friends.  

Now, it's all very well getting swept away by the lovely décor, but is the food up to scratch?  

I love Italian food, probably because it tends to lead to a big carb overload and everything comes caked in cheese.  To me it's the ultimate indulgence.   So we were very hopeful about finding ourselves a great local Italian to become a favourite.

The menu is really large with plenty of choice, so it took us a little while to pick out what we wanted.  Simon decided to start with Bucci di Patate (Potato Skins) which he enjoyed dipping in BBQ sauce and I went for the Funghi Trifolati (Garlic Mushrooms served with toasted bread).   It was delicious although the greedy part of me did wish there was more bread to dip in the garlic butter.

For our main meal we both picked out the same, Calzone.  I love Calzone, it's especially great after work when you're famished and ready to eat something mammoth.   When it came out my eyes almost popped out of my head.  It was so huge and reminded me a little of Man Vs Food.  The Calzone was filled with a gorgeous cheesy sauce as well as ham and mushrooms.   Initially I was wondering how I'd ever eat it all, but I'm very proud to say that I ate every single last bite.

We had a really lovely evening and will definitely be back, if you want generous portions of yummy Italian food at really reasonable prices I recommend you swing by and give it a try ... as you can see by the size of my nose, I tell the truth!