Best choice in Italian restaurant?

[Plump82]

I'm back on the weight loss band wagon but have a meal out with friends to an Italian and I'm wondering what the best choice would be? Everything will be laden in olive oil. I'm vegetarian which means a lot of cheesy dishes. Would a pizza be best and I could just eat half?
I've got 6 weeks till my holiday so really dont want to ruin my losing streak!

Fish

Tomato 🍅 based pasta, no cheese, no garlic 🧄 bread 🥖.

Penne all'arrabiata.

A starter of garlic prawns/prawns in wine, with side dishes of garlic/chilli spinach and garlic/chilli mushrooms (not the breaded variety, sauted in garlic and chilli) - served as a main course

If they do that sort of thing which most non chain Italians should do

@Clymene I'm vegetarian.
@Spudsanyway & @Jewelanemone so tomato pasta even if there's olive oil in it will be better than half a pizza?
I'm absolutely hopeless at working out what's best calories wise when eating out.

Oh you're veggie!!

I didnt read it properly

Oh sorry, didn't notice the veggie bit!

Your idea is good. Probably less oil than pasta

Fat doesn’t make you fat. Olive oil is good for you.

This place is a traditional Italian but the menu is fairly limited and doesn't have much choice at all for vegetarians unfortunately.

It is but it's also enormously high in calories.

My suggestion will probably have some olive oil in it, but a little isn't going to ruin your good work. Maybe stay away from the garlic bread, which is always my downfall. That, and the wine. And affogato for pudding.

True. Just trying to work out what's the leases of 2 evils! 😀

Definitely no garlic bread or wine. Should find that easy. Affogato on the other hand.... Need some willpower!!

Can you post picture of menu if it’s online!?

Defo something tomato based. Can you look at the menu ahead of time and pick now? I personally wouldn’t sweat one meal. I’d eat a little less day before, one the day, day after and get out for an extra walk or a swim or something. I’d stay away from
alcohol and the desert menu!

Here's the menu

https://www.sarti.co.uk/lunch-dinner-menu/

You might just have to go for damage limitation and have a starter size small pasta dish as your main course

Any carbs like bread and pasta combined with the oil in the sauces, even a tomato sauce is going to be calorific

If you were low carbing you could asks for a burrata salad but I dont know what regime you're following

Rice might be slightly better in terms of the carb intake but then risotto will be full of cheese if you're looking at cals.

I love to pick before I go whether I'm on a diet or not! It's just unfortunately I have another 2 weeks between now and the holiday that involve meals. I'm cooking one of them and the other is a place with decent choices so need to be careful with this Italian!

Fish or chicken and veg. Risotto would be my next choice

Don't have a starter, and embrace the olive oil in your tomato-based main

Why dont you got for the spinach, lentils and borlotti beans as a main course, order all 3 as your main course

Looks lovely.

I would say the safest starter would definitely be the vegan soup.

mains: the pasta Arabiatta
or Estiva salad (I know it’s got mozzarella but hardly any carbs

the chickpea pasta
or
the Lingunie with basil

Sorry didn't realise you are vegetarian. Salad then? They may due grilled vegetables in balsamic or similar

If you're having a starter and main, I'd recommend having a veggie soup as starter and then a vegetarian starter plus side salad as a main- eg small portion of aubergine parmigiano plus salad as a main (no carbs, just veg plus cheese)

Cesar salald
Penne arrabatia
Chicken and veg
Steak and veg