D’Acqua
Alexander Iles
A stone’s throw from Sunderland Museum, Library and Winter Gardens, is D’Acqua – an exceptional eating experience in the heart of the city. In a Grade II listed building that used to house the Sunderland and South Tyneside water board, you will be able to enjoy the ambience that resonates out of these fantastic bricks and mortar – French oak floors and handmade bricks at that! D’aqua serves the best quality in British, French and Italian food. They provide the finest flavours of each of these cuisines through the freshest ingredients. Examples of the dishes that combine the best in British, French and Italian food that are offered at D’Acqua would be the Pan roasted halibut with cauliflower puree, roasted cauliflower & cauliflower pickle with a potted shrimp sauce – using fish from the North East region. Their Beans on Toast takes the British comfort food ideas and enhances it with restaurant flair using Grilled sourdough, Haricot bean cassoulet with bacon lardons and grilled St. Nectaire cheese.
While also serving the best in French and Italian food, they manage to take local dishes and bring them into the high-end dining scene. An example of this is the County Durham mining dish Panackelty – designed to give the hardworking coalminers enough energy to get through the day. D’Acqua has taken this and created the Panackelty sausage roll (a starter made of sausage, black pudding, corned beef, bacon, potato, and nigella seeds) that shows the regional heritage of good food but with the gastronomy that goes into the food. The menu also changes with the seasons bringing new flavours to your palate. It is not only their food that is good, but also the way that they conduct business. D’Acqua offers the living wage for its staff which retains and keeps the best chefs and waiting staff and adds to the ambience and service within the restaurant. A meal at D’Acqua is a special treat on a visit to Sunderland.
