Tre Ciccio, Altrincham

An Italian restaurant, with no pasta on its main menu? To some, that might sound bizarre.

But the menu at Tre Ciccio celebrates the foods and traditions of the Campania region in Italy. The southwestern coast where they produce the finest buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes and Amalfi lemons. Oh, and where the world famous Neapolitan pizza was born!

So after a delicious choice of Antipasti (including CUOPPO FRITTO; authentic Neapolitan-style street food of lightly fried calamari, king prawns & small fish served in a paper cone with fresh lemon & roast garlic mayonnaise) the menu showcases traditional ‘Pollo Scucchito’. The star of the show and the thing that I think, makes Tre Ciccio really different and noteworthy…

Inspired by restaurants in southern Italy, the ‘Pollo Scucchito’ is, simply put; roast chicken. They coat the best quality, free range chickens in their secret recipe marinade then slow-roast it with potatoes and extra seasonings like chilli & Calabrian nduja (in the spicy Pollo alla Diavola version) or tomato, olives, mushrooms & rosemary (in the ‘Hunters style’ Pollo alla Cacciatora version).  The result is extremely flavorsome, juicy, tender chicken and some of the most incredible chicken-fat roast potatoes I’ve ever eaten. All served up family-style on the tables to share!

Teamed with some delicious sides (the wild broccoli is stunning; leafy and deep green), the mixed colour cherry tomatoes are so sweet and perfectly complimented by the thinly sliced red onion and fresh basil, all dowsed in a beautiful extra virgin olive oil.

There is a full menu for bambino’s, but we were with baby Tom (my friend’s son who’s not yet one) and he more than approved of the Schiacciata (warm stretched pizza dough, with garlic, rosemary, extra virgin olive oil & sea salt). He happily nibbled away on that as we enjoyed our sharing feast!

Fresh olives and my favourite Italian salad (a simple caprese with buffalo mozzarella cherry vine tomatoes, rocket, basil & Apulian extra virgin olive oil) completed our spread; enough to comfortably feed three people. It really was all so fresh and delicious!

On another visit to this little gem in Altrincham, I tried the pizza and was delighted at how good it was. Soft, spongy dough that seemed so fresh and delicious! Most of their pizzas have their signature tomato sauce, but we tried the one without; gently flavoured with fennel and Tuscan sausage: the Salsiccia e Friarielli also has Italian wild broccoli, fior di latte cheese & chilli flakes. A sensational pizza to say the least.

There’s also a ‘gourmet pizza’ section which is oozing with authentic Almafi coast ingredients like Delfino anchovies and tuna from Cetara, Spicy Calabrian N’duja, Apulian burrata cheese and of course San Marzano tomatoes!

But if your heart is set on pasta, then the Specials Menu will deliver. At the time of our visit, they had a delicious sounding spaghetti vongole e asparagi (spaghetti with clams, Falanghina white white, Lincolnshire English farm asparagus, garlic, chilli, parsley and mixed colour cherry tomatoes.) Or, the ‘Trofie allo Scarpariello’ sounded so delicously simple;  pasta with San Marzano tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, Parmesan and extra virgin olive oil. So you’ll likely get a satisfying hit if pasta if that’s what you desire!

The dessert menu is full of things you’d expect, too. Headlined by a decadent, creamy tiramisu, then a torta de limone, panna cotta, and my favourite; affogato.  Not to mention a whole raft of homemade gelati to choose from (which got Tom’s approval, too!)

I’ve now been to Tre Ciccio twice and I must say have been so wholeheartedly impressed each time. The menu is a breath of fresh air. It offers something totally different to other Italian eateries in the area and is certainly worth the trip out of Manchester on the Metro-link to go and give it a try.

The menu is fresh, made to order and not mass-produced and you can taste that freshness in every bite. I would say, they can be a little heavy handed with the sea salt, so if you’re sensitive t that sort of thing then perhaps state at ordering. I think it would be better perhaps if they had little pots of sea salt flakes on the table and seasoned it a little less as it comes out of the kitchen, but that’s just my preference!

For gluten free diners, many of the antipasti, salads, sides and of course the chicken is available. There are some vegan options too if you just ask the staff, they are so friendly, attentive and ready to assist.

We enjoyed our meals on their stunning terrace. Honestly, this place looks so small from it’s entrance on Moss Lane but it opens out downstairs and outside, so go and see for yourself!

To book a table head to www.treciccio.co.uk or jot down the details below!

Tre Ciccio, 4a Moss Lane, Altrincham, WA14 1BA | altrincham@treciccio.co.uk 0161 414 0196