It's ciao to Sandro as Il Picchio changes hands

Fri Sep 11 2015 10:22 BST

Il Picchio at the Triangle has been under Sandro Filipik's watch since 2006, but now he's moved on and the popular café is under new management – with an exciting new evening menu on offer.
Left: Terry Hackett – new owner at Il Picchio

New owner Terry Hackett, pictured, told bitternepark.info that food is his passion, and he's managed various high-end establishments in China, where he's been living for the last thirteen years.

He returned to the UK with his wife in June, and was attracted to Southampton because it's close to the water, after being in Beijing, which he described as being very dry – “like a desert”.

'I'm as giddy as a kipper!'

The couple found a nearby apartment, discovered the café was for sale, and “it all just fell into place”.

“On Tuesday (September 1) we literally took over. And I'm as giddy as a kipper!” he exclaimed.

“[Sandro] has built up this reputation for good food over eight years, and lots of loyal customers, so he didn't just want to sell it to someone who was going to come in and rip it all out and turn it into whatever: he's very proud of the reputation... so we've decided to keep the day menu and the décor as Italian as possible.”

Il picchio new signage

Cake fans will be pleased to hear that the selection's staying the same, with the addition of two more of Terry's, one of which is gluten free.

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There will also be a more extensive wine list, but Terry says his real passion is seafood, and in the evening he's promising dishes such as scallops and belly of pork on a bed of pea puree with shallots and garlic, and Asian pan-fried cod with green beans on potatoes with an Asian-inspired sauce.

“It's delicious, I have to say,” said Terry, who's also going to serve vegan dishes based around a product known as seitan – the protein portion of wheat.

Classics

“I also do some classics like French onion soup, I do a Raymond Blanc-style caramelised onion pancetta quiche, I do old-style kedgeree with fresh smoked haddock – I eat that every other day!”

And so the list of evening dishes goes on: luxury fish pie, bouillabaisse and paella... the menu has been designed to offer a fairly large choice over five evenings a week.

“What I'm going to try and do, basically, is be like Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc in the Triangle – for a third of the price that they charge you.”

Sandro

So what of Sandro? He said he's taking a well-earned break after running the café, while considering what to do next. He said they had been happy times, but it was hard work, especially after he recently injured his achilles tendon. But he enjoyed the atmosphere, and wanted to thank his many customers over the years.