Restaurant Review Written 2008
(Italian) Sunshine on Leith

ITALIAN IS NOT OFTEN MY FIRST CHOICE OF CUISINE WHEN DINING OUT. I LOVE THE FOOD AND THE EMPHASIS ON FRESHNESS AND SIMPLICITY OF FLAVOURS BUT ITALIAN RESTAURANTS OFTEN DISAPPOINT WITH BLAND PASTA AND DOUGHY PIZZAS. LA FAVORITA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS LOG FIRED PIZZAS BUT THE MENU ALSO CONTAINS NUMEROUS AUTHENTIC REGIONAL DISHES AND THE RESTAURANT EXUDES ITALIAN FAMILY ATMOSPHERE AND WARMTH.

Sante is the informative manager and this evening we were guided by his menu recommendations. For starters, I had delizia di salmone, smoked salmon, filled with cream cheese and prawns, shaped into a small ball dressed with salad leaves and courgette (£5.95) and my partner had the classic carpaccio Valtellinese or thin slices of marinated air dried beef, laid on a bed of wild rocket drizzled with homemade basil pesto, tomato slices and pecorino shavings (£6.50). The beef is a classic Bresaola from the Lombardy region and was meltingly tender and deeply flavoured, whilst every ingredient on my plate was beautifully fresh and tasty.

For mains, I chose a classic Montanara pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, chanterelle mushrooms, Italian sausage and truffle oil (£10.95). It was the size of a wheel and would easily have fed two. The combination of ingredients was just right, stringy cheese, fiery sausage, pungent fungi and sun burst tomatoes. The base was perfectly snappy. My partner had another classic dish, fagottini alla polpa di scampi, crepe parcels filled with scampi, prawns and crab meat in a sauce of cognac, cream, shallots and courgette (£10.95), presented as two bursting at the seams crepes and a large langoustine. This rich, tasty and decadent dish was duly demolished and the plate scraped clean. The meal was washed down with glasses of Nero d’Avola, smooth, elegant Sicilian sunshine in a glass.

As to desserts, if we could have we would have, but we had already eaten enough to feed a family. As far as calories went we concluded we were well and truly scuppered but we had experienced great food, a warm ambience, reasonable prices and impeccable, friendly service. What more could anyone ask for?