ASK Italian has officially opened so I went along to try it out. The restaurant, unlike other ASK restaurants reflects the brand’s new look with a mix of classic Italian materials alongside the colour and texture of the Mediterranean, mixing warm natural furniture, striking tiling and trailing plants to capture that breezy, al fresco feeling.
I managed two kill to birds with one stone and met up with Business Coach Simon Cartwright. My diary is so full at the moment that we were lucky this opportunity came up. Anyway, there we were sat in friendly surroundings enjoying the hive of open day activity. The restaurant’s open kitchen offers an element of theatre to a meal and there’s so much to see from an interior enthusiast like myself. They’ve married textures and patterns really well. You can expect all of your ASK Italian favourites on the menu but they are much improved. The VIP night saw us sit down to a set menu. We had the Anitpasto Classico Board (£6.95) to start but this was not the starters – gosh I’m in for a big night!
The tomato and buffalo mozzarella from Campania salad was to die for but my personal trainer will not be happy with me having dairy or a bite of the garlic bread! So for proper starters, even though we’ve already started, confused? I am! I had Spaghetti Pomodoro (£7.95 for a main). I opted for the gluten free and as gluten free goes it wasn’t bad but I do think they could have given me a smaller portion – it was huge. For mains we both chose a Tuscan classic, Pork Belly (£13.95). No joke it was the size of a small pig, if you like big portions you’ll like ASK. The pork came with a herb red wine sauce and roasted new potatoes.
By this point I was extremely full but enjoying chattering to Simon aboutfaking it until we made it. One of his philosophies and one which in the blogging world I can relate to! So we carried on with dessert… a pear tart (£5.75) served with fresh raspberries and cream. Bellissimo!
The service at ASK was, surprisingly good, our waitress was so friendly and you could tell a lot of training had happened. I do wonder a0 if they can keep this up as I often think chain restaurant service can be hit and miss and b) if there’s enough diners out there when the likes Pizza Express, Prezzo or Zizzi are it’s neighbours.
For more information and table reservations just ASK
Need some eating out inspiration? Head over to my food page now.
P.S. Thank you to ASK for inviting me and Simon along to their VIP opening. I wish you all the best.
