CHESHIRE: Sotto Wilmslow steals VIVA’s heart in a Spanish and Italian Twist

 

Nestled in the heart of Wilmslow, a short walk from the local train station lives Sotto. A chic, family run restaurant that fuses both Spanish and Italian food using only the freshest and authentically sourced ingredients.

 

We were invited by Sotto to try out their menu to give our two cents worth – and boy, we were certainly not disappointed!

 

We arrived into an Art Deco styled brightly lit room, there we were greeted at the door and seated immediately. With a beautiful marble table top (which won major points for being totally instagrammable) we were handed menus and a waiter took our drinks order.

 

I decided to go for an Aperol Spritz – which seems to be the 2018 summer trending cocktail, especially in the Cheshire area.

 

Shortly after our drinks came, our waiter returned to take our order. After much deliberation, we wanted to order everything as every dish sounded so delicious, we opted for the Chorizo, the King Prawns and the Arroz Abanda Paella (Paella with Prawns, Calamari and Swordfish) to start.

 

 

Each dish was cooked to perfection and the Paella was so fresh and full of flavour. We were joined at this point by Athena, the owner and front of house. Athena, being a Spanish native explained to us that Paella is different depending on the region of Spain you are in. Athena, who hails from Alicante serves Paella made in the traditional way of her region.

 

Once our plates were all but licked clean, our servers cleared our table as we eagerly anticipated our next course. We chose Italian main courses, which for us consisted of the Crab & Crayfish Ravioli (a special of the night) and Pizza Sotto, a stone baked pizza with a tomato base, buffalo mozzarella, roasted chicken and roasted peppers with a hint of Chilli.

 

The Crab and Crayfish Ravioli was to die for. I would go as far as saying it was the best ravioli I have ever tasted in my entire life (which is high praise indeed). Not only was the ravioli served in a generous portion, but the filling was full of texture and the crab and crayfish mix tasted undoubtedly fresh.

 

 

As we waited for our desserts to arrive (homemade Blueberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu) Athena explained the history of how Sotto came to be. Athena and her husband moved to the UK from Alicante over three years ago with one aim, to give their seven-year-old son a better life. Athena told us that where they live in Spain, jobs are hard to come by, and she wanted her son to grow up to be whatever he wanted to be. She knew that, in order for this to happen, they would have to leave their family and friends and start a new life elsewhere.

 

Once the decision had been made Athena, her son and her husband packed as many belongings as they could into their car and made the long drive from Alicante to Manchester. Athena’s Italian husband has always been a well revered chef, who over the years has worked with a number of Michelin starred chefs.

 

As soon as Athena and her family settled into Altrincham, both herself and her husband continued their career within the hospitality industry. A few years later, all that hard work and long nights paid off. Athena and her husband opened Sotto in early 2018 and they have been cooking and serving delicious food ever since.

 

So, to sum up our dining experience in Sotto. Not only is the food out of this world, but the welcome we received and the attention to detail made Sotto a place we will never forget.

 

Sotto Wilmslow

4 Warham Street,

Wilmslow,

SK91BT

For reservations please call: 01625 441711

Be sure to follow Sotto on Instagram @sottowilmslow.