Zizzi Ristorante Trafford Centre Review
Zizzi Ristorante
Trafford Centre, Manchester
Reviewed by Louisa Nashir
My friend and fellow reviewer Emma and I were asked to visit and review Zizzi for What’s Good To Do and we both jumped at the chance. Emma and I went on a Thursday lunchtime with her 2 year old son.
I will let Emma tell you about her meal in her review but I can safely say she enjoyed every mouthful and so did Lucas.
We arrived a little early so decided to scan the menus and we were soon greeted by a lady who escorted us to our table which had olive oils and salt and pepper on them for us to use and took our drink orders.
I had a Luscombe Organic Sicilian Lemonade and Emma a Luscombe Organic Raspberry Lemonade, both drinks were served in glass bottles and were poured over ice by our waitress Didi.
This funky and modern dining delight is situated in The Orient and is accessible from many directions. The restaurant is open plan and diners can see right into the kitchen where the chefs are at work creating your meals.
The metal/wooden tables, wicker type chairs and trees really give this place a rustic feel and the personalised Zizzi cutlery was a simple yet elegant touch.
The restaurant was spacious and is both family and disability friendly with its smooth floors and lift to the upstairs toilets.
The toilets were clean, tidy and smelt fresh and the Italian handwash and hand cream was an extra special touch.
Our drinks arrived and my Lemonade was to die for and really thirst quenching, it surprised me though as I assumed it would be a carbonated drink but it was served still.
Emma seemed to really enjoy her raspberry lemonade too and Lucas his juice.
Didi gave us lots of helpful advice whilst scouring the menu as our Italian is non-existent.
Whilst waiting for our food Didi brought over some colouring pencils for Lucas to keep him occupied, we noticed that the children’s menu doubled up as a colouring sheet which was a fantastic way of presenting the menu.
We ordered our starters and mains at the same time and found the service second to none and the food hot, delicious and filling.
For my starter I ordered the Bruschetta Formaggio di Capra which was goats cheese, roasted peppers and basil on ciabatta bread and drizzled with a generous amount of sticky balsamic onion. It was one of the most delicious starters I have tasted, the creamy goats cheese and the balsamic worked extremely well together and I enjoyed every mouthful.
For my main I ordered one of their new Skinny Pizzas called a Bufala which was buffalo mozzarella, sunblushed tomatoes, fresh basil and rocket on a huge pizza base. Both Emma and I were shocked at the size of this pizza and I especially liked the fact it was presented on a wooden board and came with its very own Zizzi pizza cutter. The pizza was thin crust and the tangy sunblushed tomato had my tastebuds tingling. A thoroughly delicious meal which was fit for a king.
Between each course our plates were cleared and our cutlery and napkins changed efficiently and we were asked if we would like any more drinks, I opted for another lemonade and Emma a hot chocolate, again both drinks brought to us quickly and presented well.
Didi asked if we would like to see the dessert menu and helped to translate the menu, I opted for the Torta Zizzi a frangipane tart filled with plums, figs and almonds and topped with pistachio nuts and it was heaven on a plate! It was served with vanilla gelato, I asked Didi what gelato was and she explained it was an ice cream made especially for Zizzi. I was given the option to change flavour but stayed with vanilla and I am so glad I did as it was thick, creamy and rich.
After our meal we were offered coffee but we both declined as we were full and satisfied.
I really cannot fault Zizzi and highly recommend it to everyone, the premises are clean and well maintained and the staff helpful and welcoming.
I will definitely be visiting again soon to try out more of the delicious foods and drinks Zizzi have to offer.
Excellent value for money.
Rating: 5/5 
Reviewed by Emma Baker
I have admired the Zizzi menu many a time when passing through the Trafford Centre but never really found the time to go in and try their food, so when a fellow reviewer (Louisa Nashir) and I were offered the chance to sample some of the delicious menu how could we refuse?
The Zizzi Ristorante is ideally located within the Orient part of the Trafford Centre, which is easy to get to by car or bus. We were luckily enough to find a parking space in the spacious car park right outside the Orient so we didn't have to walk far to where we were going.
We arrived earlier than expected so took the time to look over the menu to see what tickled our taste buds, whilst we were looking we were greeted by a lovely welcoming lady who asked if we would like a seat, we explained that we were early as we had a table booked also that because I couldn't find a sitter that I had my 2 year old in tow, which they didn't seem to mind and made him feel very welcome too.
They offered him a high chair which there were plenty of which you don't see often enough, but he declined as he wanted to sit on a big boy chair!
We were shown to our table which was situated on the outer side of the restaurant which was bright and airy, with a modern Italian twist. When we sat down Lucas (my 2 year old) was provided with a children's menu that doubled as a colouring sheet and a little bucket of colours, he was more than impressed. Our drinks order was taken we decided on Lemonade but not just any Lemonade, Louisa chose Luscombe Organic Sicilian Lemonade which reminds me of a still cloudy lemonade and I had to try it would have been rude not to, it was very tasty but I must admit I did prefer my own choice of Luscombe Organic Raspberry Lemonade, they came in individual glass bottle accompanied by small glasses and ice which our lovely waitress Didi poured for us. Lucas had an orange cordial served with a straw in a plastic cup, just what a 2 year old needs.
We were left to our own devices to look over the menu and decide what we wanted it took a lot of deliberation as everything looked so tasty, we also had a giggle at trying to pronounce some of the names as they were all in Italian but luckily for us the description of what the food was, was English and easy to understand. We ordered our starter and main course at the same time, and were grateful that Didi didn't mind us pointing out our dishes as when we tried to say them we ended up in fits of giggles.
I ordered Arancini which was Risotto rice rolled into balls, packed with mozzarella and peas, and fried to a crunchy, crispy finish and Tomato and chilli sauce on the side so that I could use as a dip, followed by Spaghetti Arrabiata n’Duja which was Spaghetti in a tomato sauce, livened up with fiery n’Duja sausage and topped with mascarpone. I was pleasantly surprised by the starter as it was bigger than I thought and was presented with 3x rolled balls which was more than enough though I did let Louisa try one to get her take on them, I enjoyed them but felt like there wasn't enough flavour for me and expected the chilli and tomato sauce to have a little more kick to it, but I did enjoy them. My main was served in a large bowl and had my mouth watering from the onset and was made even more delicious by the offering of parmesan cheese yum!
My dish was piled high with spaghetti and I couldn't wait to tuck in, and I wasn't disappointed. Each mouthful was full of flavour and all the ingredients worked so well together, it was nice and spicy which I liked and had a lovely kick to eat, needless to say I finished the lot and it’s a dish I would order again.
The children's menu was simple and easy to follow and had a set meal of dough sticks as a starter and then a choice of pizza's and pasta's, Lucas chose a pepperoni pizza as his main. His starter of dough sticks came served in a little bucket with a paper lining which had a seaside feel to it and he thought it was great. He had 4 sticks and he enjoyed each one, it was something he had never tried before so was lovely to see him trying new things and enjoy them. His pizza looked delicious and was served on a plate already cut up into about 5 pieces, but because our lovely waitress had provided him with his own mini knife and folk that he wanted to cut it up some more himself. When he was asked if it was nice he gladly nodded his head with a mouthful of pizza.
Louisa's meals also looked yummy her starter was Bruschetta Formaggio di Capra Goats’ cheese, roasted peppers and basil on top of ciabatta bread, all drizzled with sticky balsamic onion followed by one of Zizzi's new Skinny Pizzas called a Bufala which was buffalo mozzarella, sunblushed tomatoes, fresh basil and rocket. Seeing as I shared my starter with her it was only fair the favour was returned and Louisa kindly cut me a piece of her Bruschetta and it was one of the nicest things I've ever tasted the Goats cheese was amazing, when her main arrived our eyes nearly popped out of our heads as it was one of the biggest pizza's I had ever seen, but again it looked delicious and it was served with its very own pizza cutter which I thought was a great idea. I was too indulged in my own meal so left Louisa's alone but she seemed to enjoy it and gave her seal of approval.
All the starters and mains where served at the same time, so none of us where left waiting, they were served in good time with enough time between each course to get a little bit of an appetite so we could enjoy them. They were always hot and served on clean plates and dishes, and after each course we were provided with clean napkins, cutlery and fresh drinks. This time I opted for a hot chocolate just to try something different and Louisa chose to have the Lemonade again.
We were told that the children's menu included an ice cream, and asked if we wanted to see the desert menu, well who were we to turn that down?! Lucas had the choice of lots of flavours of ice cream, he settled for chocolate and vanilla, the desert menu looked fabulous and think this took us the longest to choose as there was so much choice, I opted for a mixture of their Gelato & Sorbet (ice cream and sorbet) a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a lemon and a strawberry sorbet, and Louisa chose Torta Zizzi which was afrangipane-like tart packs in plums, figs and almonds. Mine and Lucas' ice creams were served in tall metal like cocktail glasses and the sorbet was so refreshing it was out of this world and couldn't recommend it enough. Lucas ate most of his ice cream but think by now he was getting pretty full. Louisa described hers like a Bakewell tart with the added yumminess of plums and figs and she thought the accompanying ice cream was delicious.
When we were offered coffee's to finish off our amazing meal we had to sadly decline as there wasn't enough room in either of our stomachs.
I used the baby changing facilities while there, from where we were sat the toilets weren't clearly seen but the staff were more than happy to direct us in the right way, the toilets were situated upstairs and had a male, female and disabled/baby change toilet, which were also accessible via a lift. They were clean and spacious and just what I had expected from the high standard of cleanliness and decor from the rest of the restaurant.
We had a wonderful time and meal and found the restaurant clean, tidy and had a constant stream of guest's who all seem to leave happy and full. The food was some of the best I had tasted and was cooked to perfection, with a huge selection on the menu. The service was faultless and we felt we weren’t too fussed over nor were we ignored. A big thumbs up from 3 happy and full customers.
Great value for money and a place I would be taking the family in the near future.
Rating: 5/5
For more information or to book a table visit www.zizzi.co.uk