Birthday Celebrations at The Italian Sul Lago, Milton Keynes

Firstly, sorry not sorry for how image-heavy this post is – too much tasty food, it’s hard for me not to share. Secondly, how dreamy is the flower wall? This is in the entrance of Sul Lago and makes a beautiful backdrop for a selfie while you wait for the rest of your party to join you!

This post is also massively overdue, as it was around this time last month that we went to this stunning restaurant to celebrate my birthday. The Italian Sul Lago is at Furzton Lake and is fairly new. I’d heard good things from friends and had been obsessed with their social channels basically since launch, so was really glad to finally be trying it out. 100% worth the hype – no exaggeration.

We went on a Sunday and I was pleased that it was the usual a la carte menu – I think I’d seen that when it first opened, there was a dedicated Sunday menu with roast dinners, but I can take or leave those. Plus, it’s an Italian, so there’s really no need. We had a lovely table, round but with banquette seating – with views out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, plus of the super-extravagant giant indoor tree! Everything just felt so new and plush, I loved it.

We began with drinks while perusing the menu and deciding which wine we’d like. I chose the plum & vanilla gin with slimline tonic, which was great. I have to say I was impressed with the gin and cocktail menus – perfect for a leisurely lunch with friends, as well as an evening out! I can’t remember the wine we chose now, but it was a white wine that went well with my chosen dishes.

I don’t normally go for starters, but there were so many tasty options and everyone else seemed up for it. Mum and I went halves, sharing the calamari and the crab & lime croquettes. The portion sizes were large – with two large croquettes and plenty of squid rings. The accompanying aioli was delicious, and it was a good start. I was also glad to share… you could easily order a selection of starters for the table and share in this way. The arancini was popular amongst our table and came in a portion of three.

For my main course, I went for the capricciosa pizza. The restaurant has a pizza oven and I’d seen others on nearby tables ordering pizzas, which looked great. Capricciosa is a bit like a quattro stagione (four seasons), but rather having the four toppings (olives, mushroom, artichoke and ham) in separate quadrants of the pizza, they are evenly distributed. I love the flavours of this particular pizza and the base was very good, with some bubbles and charring (which I like!). Ash also had a pizza – the pizza carne, topped with pepperoni, Bolognese, ham and sausage. We shared a portion of truffle & Parmesan fries too, which were *chef kiss*.

And the rest of the group? Mum had the lamb cutlets, which looked yummy, while Rob had the Argentinean prawns (which come with salad, so he ordered a couple of veggie sides). Alex and Alfie both had pasta dishes, with Alfie ordering from the children’s menu. There was a good choice of main courses which come served with garlic bread or chips – but it meant Alfie chose a pasta bolognaise with a side of fries… and struggled to eat it all!

Thankfully, both Alfie and I were able to box up our leftovers, and I really enjoyed having my pizza for lunch the next day! Despite that, we all had room for pudding or coffees. There were three or four different options I had my eye on and was definitely torn… but ended up going for the tiramisu, which is one of my favourite desserts but vastly underrated! It was so good, and not too heavy! The sticky but sweet looked incredible too – a sticky toffee pudding with lashings of sauce, ice cream and garnished with popcorn. Another reason to go back.

And I definitely would. The food was great, there was a real ambience and the location is perfect for a post-dinner walk – when it’s not raining (or just be prepared for it). There is now a crazy golf course next door, Dinosaur Valley, which features life-sized animatronic dinosaurs. I know Alfie would love it! There are also plenty of events scheduled at The Italian Sul Lago, and you can keep up to date with these on Instagram.

Love, Lucy xx