Cello, Limoncello and the Unexpected Star of a Very Good Night at Ciao Cielo

We were invited to a special one-off event, Cello & Limoncello, a night of live strings, citrusy cocktails and an Italian menu that did far more than trot out the usual suspects. As the cello player serenaded us with aching, melancholic swells (yes, we got emotional, don’t judge), the evening unfolded with warmth, generosity, and the kind of owner-operator touch that’s all too rare these days. Case in point: co-owner Kate Dickins personally delivered our welcome cocktail, a honeyed, whisky-laced limoncello number with nutmeg on top and genuine hospitality baked in.

The dining room itself is grand without being shouty. Think original timber beams, a working fireplace, moody stone walls, and the occasional wink like a disco ball twinkling above the bar. There’s a softness to the space that makes it feel lived-in and loved, not staged or overthought. It’s not trying to be anything it’s not, and that’s the point.

But let’s talk about that menu. One dish in particular had the room leaning in and questioning everything they thought they knew about Italian food: Algherese Paella di Catalan. Yes, paella, but not the Spanish kind. This one hails from Alghero, a coastal town in north-western Sardinia, where a strong Catalan influence dates back centuries. Instead of rice, the dish features fregola, a hand-rolled, toasted pasta that soaks up a saffron-tomato broth like it’s got something to prove. Add scampi, mussels, prawns, calamari and fish, and what lands at the table is a cast-iron pot of shared history and very modern deliciousness. It had people whispering across tables, "Wait, is this Italian or Spanish?" (Answer: yes.)

The rest of the meal was equally thoughtful. There were gnocco fritto with shaved prosciutto, delicate kingfish crudo lifted by limoncello, and perfectly golden arancini stuffed with confit duck and served with a citrusy spiced aioli. A Shark Bay scallop, grilled in-shell with garlic and guanciale, arrived like a tiny edible trophy. And dessert? A raspberry pavlova with limoncello jelly, soft, sweet and just boozy enough to count as a nightcap.

The drinks list also had its moments, including a lineup of wines from Abruzzo and Ciao Cielo’s signature homemade limoncello, served on its own or stirred into a cocktail.

All in all, it was a night that did what all good restaurants aim to do: surprise, delight, and gently challenge what you thought you knew. Ciao Cielo isn’t chasing trends. It’s holding steady, steering the ship and reminding us why longevity still matters, especially when it’s served with fregola, feeling, and a splash of limoncello.