At the Cloisters Bistro you will be spoilt for choice with an Italian feast. Before you order your mains, select a number of olives, breads and bites from the menu, like the smoked mackerel, tomato and basil crostini with prosciutto and provolone, and the pasta fritte with sea salt, smoked jalapeno hot sauce and Grana Padano. Antipasti offerings are classic, with 24 month cured prosciutto di parma with melon, torn buffalo mozzarella and crispy fried squid with aioli, lemon and sweet chilli dressed leaves. If you like to share with your fellow guests, order the antipasti board with Cloisters Deli meats and cheeses, buffalo mozzarella, olives, pickled chilli, marinated squash and charred focaccia.
No good Italian feast is complete without delicious pasta. The orecchiette giardino is made with courgette, chilli, garlic, butter and Grana Padano, the spaghetti carbonara is classically made with guanciale and egg yolk, and the ragu di manzo comes with potato gnocchi, slow cooked beef ragu and horseradish pangrattato. You can choose either pork or nduja and pork meatballs for spaghetti polpette, and the linguine granchio is made with hand-picked Devon crab and chilli. Those who prefer things simple will love the pomodoro with cherry tomatoes, or the spaghetti amatriciana.
Pizza is made fresh with hand stretched dough that is prepared daily, and fior di latte mozzarella is the cheese used for topping, due to its distinctive taste. Classics like margherita with fresh basil and the napoli with salami, ham, roasted red peppers and mushrooms are on the menu, but are complimented by specials like the maille Bianca with bechamel, mozzarella, field mushrooms, guanciale and Grana Padano, and the nduja e miele with spicy Calabrian sausage meat, peppers and drizzled with honey.