Restaurant review: Pepe Sale

Restaurant name: Pepe Sale
Cuisine: Italian/Sardinian
Location: Reading, UK
Date: August 2013
Occasion: None - just dinner out

This was not actually my first visit, that being several years ago when I first moved to Reading.  I couldn't remember much about it, least of all what the food was like, but I was surprised to think that I hadn't been back since.  Having eaten there now, I'm even more surprised I hadn't been back since that first time.

The restaurant is a reasonably small place, hidden on one of the back streets in town and not far from the theatre.  It's quite a way from many other restaurants in town, which is perhaps why I haven't been back.  From the outside, it's not particularly ostentatious or prominent - but it was certainly very busy by the end of the night, so clearly well known about.  A nice little bar by the main entrance, 4 or 5 tables near the door and then 3 steps down to a lot more tables.  We sat on the top level, by the large glass windows.

The menu was impressive, with all the usual Italian items as well as several other less familiar things.  I particularly remember the impressive choice of fish, always a favourite of mine.  The wine list was also quite impressive, but I'm afraid I don't remember what we had on this occasion - I believe it was a Sardinian white.

We started with carpaccio - mine a fish carpaccio (which was seasonally varying, and turned out to be salmon on this occasion) and the beef carpaccio for my companion.  Both were excellent, with generous portions (probably too much) as well as a significant amount of leaves.  I myself had had another beef carpaccio a couple of weeks earlier in London, but this one was much better - less dry, sliced very thinly, and accompanied by rocket and thin slices of cheese (almost certainly Parmesan).

The mains, however, were the star of the show.  Both myself and my companion are very fond of sea bass but she said she wanted it so, being the gentlemen that I am, I went for the sea bream instead.  This, I should say, was excellent - but, as it transpired, the bass was better, so I had much food envy.  I will have that next time!  The bream was done very simply in garlic, white wine and parsley, and filleted excellently.  The bass, however, was rather special.  The menu had described it as salt-baked, which I have seen done to other things (e.g. vegetables) but have never experienced it myself.  Once my dish had arrived, a large trolley was brought over holding what looked like an enormous mound of rice.  It turned out to be salt, and in front of our eyes the waiter expertly removed the fish from within, filleted and deboned it, and served with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.  Absolutely superb, and probably the best sea bass we have ever tasted - the salt was not overpowering, instead simply flavouring the flesh.

My only regret, apart from not having it myself, was that we were too enthralled to take any photos for this blog.  Next time!

After all that, perhaps unsurprisingly, there was no room for deserts on this occasion.  We had our usual espresso which, as might be expected from an Italian, was pretty good.  Rather than trying a more normal Italian spirit, I went for a Sardinian Grappa which was actually rather pleasant, and without the usual burn of many Grappas.

So, all in all, an excellent meal.  The waiters were superb and very knowledgeable, particularly when filleting the fish.  So definitely a place to return to, very soon.