First look at Lombardo’s Lasagne: Lasagneria Italiana in Carrington

Lombardo’s Lasagne aka ‘Team Lombardo -Alessandro and Ashleigh opened up their much awaited restaurant in Carrington this weekend.

We had been waiting patiently and expectantly every since they had announced that they were opening up a Lasagneria some months ago

We first met up with and fell in love with their Lasagne at the Bingham Farmer’s market back in February where they were selling slices to take away from their Van (read more here).

It was truly delicious and we have met up with them to collect and devour many more slices since that day

THE DINING ROOM AND BAR

Today though it was a new dawn as we walked into their Lasagneria on Hucknall Road in Carrington on the edge of Sherwood.

We were first in so had our pick of the tables, choosing to sit in the window so that we could see the Lasagne action unfold in front of us.

It was good to arrive early so that we got to see the excitement and joy on the faces and in the eyes of our lovely hosts Alessandro and Ashleigh.

LASAGNE MENU

We have tried many of their lasagne combinations before, the traditional La Classica, the extra beef & pork laden La Romano, the Boscaiola with sausage and mushrooms, and the Diavola with sausage, spicy salami and nduja

I like them all as they each have their own special charms, whilst I was not one normally to be drawn away from the classic lasagne (or so I thought) before I met Lombardo’s .

Now I would be happy ordering any slice from their menu

In the end though we stuck to our tradition and ordered one of the La Classica and one of the La Romana and asked to get half of each on our plates, of course that was no problem from our lovely hosts 🙂

LA CLASSICA & LA ROMANA

So on the left we have La Classica ‘traditional slow-cooked beef & pork ragu with bechamel & grana padano‘

This combination is probably my favorite of all of their lasagnes, you get a really good balance between the ragu sauce and the smooth bechamel with a hint of nutmeg.

On the right we have La Romana ‘extra beef & pork ragu with extra mozzeralla & grana padano‘

This one does not come with a bechamel but instead has a layer of cheese in between every lasagne sheet. So what you miss out on in the delicate hint of nutmeg you gain back in added cheesiness. I figure you also needed a bit more room for the extra ragu!

DINNER FOR TWO, LASAGNE AND CORTINA’S

We ordered a couple of Contorni (side plates) to pair with the Lasagne as you do.

Firstly the Patate al forno which are “Rustic oven roasted potatoes with rosemary” these were simple yet really good, I had smelt the aroma of rosemary wafting out of the kitchen as we arrived so perhaps it was that which enticed us to pick this

Secondly we had the Insalata della casa which is essentially a salad of ‘Crisp mixed leaves, rocket, piccolino tomatoes, grana padano shavings‘ dressed with ‘extra virgin olive oil & balsamic glaze‘

I do like a nice clean well dressed salad to pair alongside, just to add a bit of freshness to the palate and crunch into the bite

A RIGHT PROPER PLATEFUL

Once it was all piled onto the plate things were looking pretty good, perhaps we had ruined the presentation and maybe this photo should have been left in the memory banks but you know what this now was a big old rustic meal just like I might attempt to produce at home.

It was a good combination, even I do say so myself, and both sides were a perfect foil to accompany both lasagne. Perhaps one could have been more adventurous, but this was our first visit and we were sticking to what we knew 🙂

WHY IS THEIR LASAGNE SO GOOD?

I do love the lasagne at Lombardo’s and the board on the wall helps to explain just why they are so good. The meat for the ragu comes from the excellent locally re-knowned butcher A Wright on Hucknall Road just a 100 yards away from the restaurant.

That 6 hour slow cooked ragu layered between five sheets of pasta alongside the handmade creamy bechamel sauce is a dream combination.

The Lasagne itself is only part of the story, what makes the food and this place special is the added ingredients of the passion and enthusiasm of the hosts and owners Ashleigh and Alessandro

I could eat Lasagne anywhere but I choose to eat it from Lombardo’s because of these two