Affordable Italian Delights At Trattoria Raffaele In Sydenham

I have to admit that I have passed Trattoria Raffaele on Sydenham Road many times, since it opened in 2008 and wondered what the little rustic styled restaurant had to offer and this weekend I decided to find out.

I visited with my better half, who is quite picky and was pleasantly surprised, the restaurant is quite small, but has a very cosy informal atmosphere, there is a bar at the front and a cute little covered terrace outside with tables, perfect for summer Al Fresco dining. The waiter was friendly and even moved us to the corner table so we could have slightly more privacy.

Trattoria Raffaele has quite a concise menu but it has all the favourites including; bruschetta, antipasto, steak, pizza, pasta, veal and tiramisu. For starters we ordered a bruschetta to share and it was very tasty thanks to the added pesto sauce, then pasta for mains, I opted for the lobster filled ravioli in a tomato and cream sauce, which was slyly filling but delicious and the bf had meat balls, which he informed me would have been perfect if they'd had a little chilli in them. The portions were very healthy and I was suitably stuffed even before the waiter passed us the desert menu.

The options were equally as tempting, the tiramismu was out after the creamy mains and sadly there was no fruit sorbet, but there was chocolate fudge cake, ice cream with espresso and a scrumptious sounding pistachio and plum tart with fig ice cream, I simply couldn't resist and what a way to end a meal! The tart was spongy and light, with a generous sprinkling of pistachios and juicy plums and the fig ice cream was heavenly, a steal at just £4. I cannot recommend this desert highly enough, you simply must try it! The desert board is a special and changes seasonally, so make sure you check when booking your table.

A meal for two with two glasses of wine was only £42 and the service was top notch, if you're in a hurry they also offer a takeaway service. I am disappointed only by the fact I waited so long to discover this local gem.