Hidden between buildings close to Trinity College Dublin, Italian restaurant Aperitivo is an authentic Italian restaurant with some unique differences.
When we entered the restaurant we were glad to get in from the cold and in to the cosy venue that may possibly be one of the smallest restaurants I have ever been in! With a bar on one side and a mirror on the other there is just one row of tables and two by the window.
Once we were seated we realised how hungry we were and had a peruse of the food and drinks menu. The decor and vibe of the place instantly transports you to Italy or a swanky New York restaurant.
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One thing to note which is an unusual aspect for an Italian restaurant is that all of the dishes are quite small portions which makes for an Italian style tapas experience.
As we sat down and looked at the menu it was difficult to decide what we wanted as everything sounded amazing - in the end we picked four appetisers between the two of us.
We chose the bruschetta, prosciutto - which the menu describes as: 'a plate of Italy's finest ham served with bread', calamari and gamberi fritti which are crispy fried prawns.
All of these were sensational and I would say that four starters between two people is the perfect amount if you are really hungry. I would have to say that the fried prawns were my favourite; they were crunchy, fresh and full of flavour. Seafood would not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of Italian food so it was a nice option to have.
For mains we got one dish each but again they are quite small portions so we shared. We got one gnocci in a fennel sausage ragu and a classic carbonara. Both were amazing.
I had never tried gnocci before and I was pleasantly surprised by it. Combined with the sausage fennel ragu it was nothing I had ever had before and I loved it. The carbonara came in what looked like a cocktail shaker as the waiter put the plate on the table and then shook the pasta before delicately placing it on the plate.
The service in the restaurant does add an element of elegance to the place as the staff also come around regularly to fill up your glass of water without being asked.
The carbonara was coated in a cheese sauce that was mouth watering. Even though we were full we managed to save some room for dessert.
We shared the nutella tart and the tiramisu. I would highly recommend both for hitting that sweet craving. The tiramisu was so creamy and both were the perfect end to a delicious meal.
We went on a Wednesday night and for midweek the place was packed and I can see why. I really enjoyed that it was a tapas style of eating as sometimes a big portion of Italian food especially can be quite heavy.
The dim lighting and fogged window really makes you feel far away from the rest of the city and engrossed in this little slice of Italy in Dublin's city centre. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a date night, a special occasion or just to treat yourself.
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