Rossopomodoro, Newcastle

When I'm given the option to go out for food, I'm always keen to visit an Italian restaurant. Of course there's the (multiple) times I want a burger, but Italian food is usually a safe bet. For most, there'll be a dish to suit, whether you're a pizza or pasta fan. So when I heard about Rossopomodoro opening in John Lewis, I was excited to visit and see what they had to offer. There's a new Italian restaurant in Newcastle.  Located on the 1st floor of John Lewis, you'll find Rossopomodoro, taking the place of what used to be the brasserie. With a modern look and friendly atmosphere, I was excited to visit and I'm always interested in Italian food!Located on the 1st floor of John Lewis within Eldon Square, you'll find Rossopomodoro. It's taken the place where the brasserie used to be and it seems like there's quite a few interesting developments happening within Eldon Square lately. Within John Lewis there's now Joe and The Juice, in Fenwick, the Charlotte Tilbury counter and new-look food hall, then there's the plans for redeveloping the Monument Mall.
With a glass of Pinot Grigio Rosé, I browsed the menu covering everything from pizza, pasta, salads and soup. I opted for a pasta orientated dish, but the pizzas did look good - and I'm told the calzone tasted really good too.To start I had the olivette; green and black olives served with soft bread topped with sun-dried tomato spread. The bread was soft and chewy and I can never fault olives. I do think I prefer green to black though, I've noticed that recently when I have those pots of mixed olives with feta. I had a little taste of the other starter, Ricotta E Nduja - homemade bread, buffalo ricotta cheese and spicy nduja - it was lovely. The bread was soft but crisp on the edges and the cheese was creamy.For my main I picked Gnocco which is possibly the best Gnocchi I've had, I guess it's technically not a pasta dish since it's potato based and to go to a napoli restaurant and not have pizza might seem a bit silly; but there's always next time. The cherry tomato sauce was full of flavor and you can never have too much cheese; this has mozzarella and parmesan and was delicious. The Calzone was huge and seemed to have a generous filling of salami, ricotta, mozzarella, ham and plum tomato sauce. Some of the pizzas on their menu are available gluten free too, but it's definitely worth speaking to the staff more closely to cater for your food needs.
Dessert is always my favorite part of a meal and even if I'm really full from my main dish, I can always make space for something sweet. On this occasion we both had Tiramisu, but this wasn't your usual coffee flavoured dessert, this was Nutella Tiramisu. In one word; amazing. The light texture of the sponge, with chantilly cream and Nutella just worked so well and let's face it, you can never have too much Nutella, can you?I'd definitely go back, with mains around £10 and starters and desserts around £5 each, it's reasonably priced, whether you want a 3 course meal (and feel like you need to roll back home) or just a filling lunch. The decor is really interesting too, with some photo frames on the ceiling - you'll have to see it to appreciate it, plus the location within Eldon Square makes it feel bright and airy too. Depending on where you're sat, you can see the pizzas being made and cooked, which is something I quite like. I'm also very keen to get along for a pizza masterclass, so hopefully there'll be one soon I can pop along and blog about!
Rossopomodoro is open daily in John Lewis, Eldon Square from 9am to 8pm (Mon to Fri) 9am to 7pm (Sat) and 11am to 5pm (Sun) For more information, reservations and to view the menu, visit their website.A complimentary meal for 2 was provided for review purposes from Rossopomodoro. I've given my honest opinion, as always.