A La Carte
Our menu features the best dishes available from regions throughout Italy. At Essenza Ristorante Italiano we take great pride in the fact that we source ingredients directly from Italy wherever possible, to create fresh, tasty and beautifully presented authentic Italian food.
We have introduced non gluten dishes in our menu. Choose any of our sauces and we will prepare it with gluten free pasta. (We are not a gluten free restaurant and although we make any effort to avoid cross contamination, we cannot guarantee our non gluten free dishes are 100% gluten free.)
Starters
| Minestrone Fresh home made vegetable soup | £12.20 |
| Bruschetta con Pomodorini e Rucola Char grilled Italian bread with vine and cherry tomatoes. | £16.80 |
| Caprese di Bufala Bufala caprese, tomato, artichokes, tomatoes and rocket salad. | £17.30 |
| Burrata Pugliese Hand made mozzarella from Puglia with a touch of cream, served with avocado, artichokes , tomatoes and rocket | £17.30 |
| Melanzane Alla Parmigiana Baked layers of aubergines, mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil topped with parmesan | £18.30 |
| Prosciutto e Mozzarella di Bufala Well seasoned, traditional Italian parma ham with buffalo mozzarella | £18.50 |
| Carpaccio di Manzo Thinly sliced raw fillet of beef with rocket, cherry tomatoes, parmesan | £18.50 |
| Cozze e Vongole Mussels and fresh royal clams sauteed, in white wine, tomato and garlic | £18.90 |
| Tartare di Tonno Diced and raw first quality tuna, marinated with extra virgin olive oil and lemon, served with avocado and rocket | £18.90 |
| Calamari e Gamberoni Fritti Deep fried squid rings and prawns. | £18.90 |
| Antipasto Italiano Parma Ham, sun-dried tomatoes,pecorino toscano, marinated olives and salami | £19.00 |
Pasta
| Spaghetti alla Carbonara Spaghetti with bacon, egg and a touch of cream | £19.90 |
| Penne all’ Arrabiata Pasta quills with tomato sauce and chilli | £20.50 |
| Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, Peperoncino Spaghetti with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and chilli | £20.50 |
| Gnocchi 4 Formaggi Potato dumplings with four cheese sauce | £20.90 |
| Spaghetti alle Vongole Spaghetti with fresh royal clams | £21.70 |
| Spaghetti con Pomodori Arrostiti e Pesto Spaghetti with roasted tomatoes, rocket pesto, pine nuts and oregano. | £21.90 |
| Tonnarelli all’Amatriciana A thicker version spaghetti freshly made using free ran=ge spaghetti, with bacon, onions and tomato sauce. | £22.10 |
| Tortelloni in salsa Aurora Hand-folded fresh pasta filled with ricotta and spinach in a tomato and basil sauce | £22.10 |
| Fettuccine Porcini e Pancetta Hand made, wide flat pasta with porcini mushrooms and bacon | £22.10 |
| Tonnarelli alla Gricia A thicker version of spaghetti freshly made using free range eggs,with guanciale (cured pork cheeks) and pecorino cheese. | £22.30 |
| Risotto ai Gamberoni Risotto with saffron, shrimps, courgettes, and King Prawns | £22.70 |
| Spaghetti cacio e pepe. A typical dish from Rome, simple made with tasty sauce of pecorino cheese and black pepper | £22.90 |
| Tonnarelli alla Marinara A thicker version of spaghetti, freshly made using free range eggs, with prawns, clams, mussels and squid with a touch of tomato sauce. | £23.20 |
| Fettuccine alla Bolognese Hand made wide pasta with premium minced beef and porcini mushrooms | £23.20 |
| Spaghetti ai Gamberoni Spaghetti with chilli, tomato sauce and king prawns.(off the shell) | £26.00 |
| Tagliatelle al Tartufo Nero Hand made pasta with fresh black shaved seasonal truffle | £27.60/41.50 |
| Tagliatelle con Tartufo Nero Hand made pasta with fresh black shaved seasonal truffle | £28.80/41.50 |
Meat
| Pollo alla Griglia Grilled breast of chicken with roast potatoes, rocket, artichokes and cherry tomatoes | £24.40 |
| Vitello Crema e Funghi Veal escalopes with cream and mushrooms served with peas | £24.40 |
| Saltimbocca alla Romana Veal escalopes sautéed, topped with 18 month matured prosciutto crudo and sage served with peas | £26.20 |
| Vitello alla Parmigiana Deep fried veal escalope in breadcrumbs with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese served with spaghetti | £27.40 |
| Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia Fillet of beef with porcini sauce, served with mash potatoes | £33.10 |
| Ossobuco alla Milanesee Oven roasted veal ossobuco served with saffron risotto | £40.40 |
Seafood
| Spigola alla Griglia Whole sea bass, filleted and char grilled with extra virgin olive oil and herbs, served with steamed broccoli | £28.20 |
| Trancio di Tonno Seared tuna with chilli and extra virgin olive oil, served with fried courgettes | £30.00 |
| Calamari alla Griglia Char grilled fresh squid with chilli, rocket and cherry tomatoes | £31.30 |
| Guazzetto di Pescatrice Sautéed monkfish, king prawns with tomato sauce and shallots | £31.90 |
| Grigliata di Crostacei Selection of char grilled, monk fish, squid, king and tiger prawns | £33.50 |
Sides
| Pomodoro e Cipolla Tomato, onion and basil salad. | £6.50 |
| Broccoli al Vapore Steamed broccoli | £6.80 |
| Fagiolini all’Agro Steamed French beans | £6.80 |
| Piselli Pancetta Steamed peas sautéed, with bacon | £7.00 |
| Piselli Bolliti Steamed peas | £7.00 |
| Spinaci Saltati / Bolliti Spinach, sautéed or steamed | £7.00 |
| Insalata Verde / Mista Selection of green or mixed leaves with avocado | £7.00 |
| Patate Arrosto / Fritte / Puree Potatoes sautéed, French Fries or Mash | £7.00 |
| Zucchine Fritte Deep fried courgettes | £8.10 |
| Rucola con Parmigiano Rocket salad, parmesan flakes and cherry tomatoes | £8.30 |
| Vegetali Grigliati Char grilled aubergines, red peppers courgettes, Belgian chicory | £8.90 |
| Napoletana Side portion of spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic | £9.80 |
Desserts
| Lemon Sorbet, Vanilla or Choccolate ice cream 1 scoop, 2 scoops or 3 scoops | £4.70/5.40/6.40 |
| Panna Cotta Perfectly homemade creamy with a choice of caramel, strawberry, choccolate sauce or lemon sauce. | £8.90 |
| Tartufo A sabajon semifreddo ice cream ice cream choccolate coated with crushed hazelnuts and cocoa. | £8.90 |
| Tiramisu Home made Tiramisu with pasteurised eggs, cream, savoiardi biscuits, chocolate and coffee. | £9.10 |
| Ananas Fresh pineapple served with lemon sorbet | £9.20 |
| Affogato Vanilla ice cream, espresso with a touch of amaretto | £10.10 |
