Restaurant review: Slice of Sicily, Penwortham

Slice of Sicily is a restaurant and deli

After a recommendation from Preston Blog reader @ruby_gem I decided to book a table at the Italian restaurant, Slice of Sicily in Penwortham.

It’s a little cafe style restaurant tucked away on Priory Lane. The restaurant is housed in a conservatory style building at the back, behind the deli, that has a continental feel to it. We were shown to a small table with a good view of the kitchen.

As it was Valentine’s Day we were given a complimentary glass of prosecco each – which was nice and tasty. The place was filing up fast and we were glad we’d booked. I went for a starter of chicken in pesto sauce while my girlfriend went for mozerella sticks with a dip. The food was whisked straight out of the kitchen onto our plate, one of the advantages of sitting right next to the kitchen!

The menu isn’t massive but this is a good thing, it stops you spending an hour pondering what to have. The starters were delicious and the portion sizes adequate. However, there was no gap between the starter and the mains. We’d just put our cutlery down from our starter and our plates where whisked away and then the mains were infront of us.

I’d plumped for a tricolore pizza (cheese, mozorella, parma ham) while my girlfriend went for the tortollini funghi (mushrooms to me and you). The pizza was reasonably dry, not much melted cheese and this was made worse by the lack of drinks. We’d ordered another drinks when our mains arrived but I was two thirds of the way through my pizza when our drinks turned up. This was no fault of the staff (all two of them) who were forced to rush around for the whole night due to the place being understaffed.

My girlfriend enjoyed her very creamy tortollini and the portion size was just right, meaning she wasn’t absolutely stuffed.

We decided not to have a dessert or a coffee and a brief chat with the waiter as we were paying the bill (just under £40 for starter, mains and one side order, and two rounds of drinks) revealed they’d had a very busy week – so the credit crunch doesn’t seem to be affecting Penwortham.

Overall, a nice little restaurant, with great food, but they need to get the staffing levels sorted out to be able to offer better service.

Rating: Food: 4/5, Drink: 3/5, Service: 2/5, Atmosphere/decor: 3/5, Value for money: 4/5

Overall: 16/25

Need to book? Definitely for early(ish) on a weekend and can imagine it’s busy at lunchtimes.

Phone: 01772 750040

Address: 7 Priory Lane, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 0AR (map)

Takeaway service is available.

Suggestions for Valentine’s Day in Preston

Stuck for Valentine's Day ideas? Don't worry, we've got it covered

February 14th is fast approaching and if there’s one day a year when you need to say “sod the credit crunch” this is it. For the men out there, the recession is never an excuse to cut back on ‘the most romantic day of the year’. Preston Blog has been asking its readers for their suggestions on where to go on Valentine’s Day in Preston.

First up is the Slice of Sicily, recommended via twitter by Gemma Cameron (@ruby_gem), it’s in Penwortham. They have a small dining area, as the place doubles as a cafe/deli during the day. Book now to avoid missing out on some great Italian food. Phone: 01772 750040. Show on map.

Next is a recommendation from recent interviewee, Colin Sneath of Stage 9 Marketing. I snuck the question in about Valentine’s Day to sidetrack him from talking too much marketing theory. He suggests a slap-up meal at Burlingtons in Broughton, with the steak being especially good. Phone: 01772 863424. Show on map.

If you fancy a bit of countryside for the day then another Preston Blog reader, Rick Seymour (@RickSeymour) recommends the hills behind Longridge for a quiet and romantic moment.

Chris Skoyles (@cskoyles) keeps the walking theme going for Valentine’s Day, suggesting a walk through Broadgate and down by the river and finishing up with a pint and maybe some food in the New Continental. Take a look at their menu for Valentine’s night. Phone: 01772 499425. Show on map.

If you fancy heading a little out of Preston then we’ve got somewhere worth a look. It comes recommended by our new music, film and entertainments correspondent, Kirsty Higginson (@KirstyHigginson) who suggests trying The Gibbon Bridge Hotel. It’s up towards Chipping in the Forest of Bowland. Phone: 01995 61456. Show on map.

Think we’ve missed a trick? Do you know a little gem in Preston or in the surrounding area that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day? Let us know below.