JEDDAH, 29 May — It’s been open for about four months and I have heard a lot of people praising it. You should hear some of the things they say: “It smells exactly like Pizza on the Park in London.” I wonder if that’s possible. Another said, “When I first went in, it reminded me of those cute restaurants in London.” In case you’re wondering, that’s a good thing. It’s cozy, warm and cute, some even commented on the restaurant’s name stating that it was strange, but apparently “Lallo” was named after its Italian owner. Others remarked. “The food is amazing! Especially the pizza and the pasta.” Some say the atmosphere is the best thing. I actually agree that it has a very comfortable homey feeling. I liked the decor except for the false ceiling; it made me feel like I was in some kind of showroom. Other than that, the feel of the place was wonderful. The pizza is really tasty, for by the time we were finished, so were all the slices. They use only fresh tomatoes (none of that pesky tomato paste). They make their own pasta, which I think is great. I ate the penne arabiata with great appreciation. I appreciated the fact that they made it to my liking — not too hot. One of my friends complained that the pasta wasn’t cooked to her taste. She ordered the spaghetti alla buttera. A friend of mine tried the lasagne all forno and said it was a must try. Ravioli comes either with meat topped with a sauce of your choice or vegetarian with walnut sauce. I absolutely loved the Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. It tastes so fresh; they also serve a warm sea food salad, boiled baby squid with botatoes and rucula salad. The presentation was also quite impressive. The chef however confessed that on busy nights, he can’t spend so much time decorating the dishes. My friend ordered the risotto all’arogosta which is mainly rice with lobster. She loved it and so did the three other friends who kept eating from her plate. They also have risotto with squid ink sauce and risotto with saffron and parmasian cheese, which is truly delish. Keep in mind though, it takes about half an hour to have it ready. The bread and butter at the beginning of the meal were good too. One of my friends remarked that you can usually tell if a restaurant is good, by the bread they serve. It’s an interesting theory that is maybe applicable at Lallo. Oh and the focaccia bread was unbelievable; I couldn’t believe it was so good. They use fresh mushrooms too by the way, another plus. As for the meat dishes, we didn’t try any. But they’re probably all very good as well. For dessert we tried tiramisu which was tasty, and the dessert of the day which was quite an experience. I couldn’t even guess what was in it. The chef said that it was a dessert from his hometown and that no other Italian restaurant served it. It was pastry stuffed with cheese and on the side, some orangy sorbet. I recommend you try it. They have a nice fruit cocktail that is also quite refreshing. In conclusion I would say that not many restaurants have such high quality food in both freshness — and healthiness if that’s even a word! The chef has 15 years of experience and he worked previously at the Italian Club in Jeddah. People have always praised the food at the Italian club so what does that tell you? Lallo has three different locations: CICER tel. 6430134, Saudia City tel. 6820030 EXT 4142 and Tahlia St. tel. 6614772.
