Ask Italian

Ask Italian

Restaurant name:-Ask Italian.
Location:-            1, Piccadilly, Manchester.
Date/Time:-         1st September 2017.

Atmosphere 5/10
Hygiene       7/10
Price            7/10
Service        7/10
Taste            5/10

OVERALL:-6.5/10

This restaurant is located in the middle of Piccadilly Manchester where they probably get hundreds, if not thousands of people walking past everyday. It was a Friday evening and we expected it to be really busy but noticed that there were quite a few empty tables although the restaurant is quite big. The next thing I noticed was that they were playing pop music which definitely took away from the Italian feel. The waitress was polite and very natural. No fake or being over-pleased which I liked. We sat next to the window and we could see everyone through full length windows with the view of Piccadilly Gardens. The waitress took our order quite quickly. I expected the restaurant to be really busy being a Friday night but it wasn't. We decided to get two main meals to share. We chose:-

Pollo Piccante Con Pancetta                                                                               £12:95p
(Pizza. Seasoned chicken breast, pancetta, roasted peppers,
 red chillies, mushroom, spinach, rosemary and fontal cheese)

Aragosta E Gamberoni                                                                                        £14:95p
(Pasta. Lobster and king prawns in a creamy tomato sauce,
with a hint of chilli. Topped with a king prawn in it's shell)                                                                    

Coca Cola                                                                                                             £2:55p (each)

Before the food arrived, we were given two shots of Limoncello. I thought this was strange as it is supposed to be given after the meal?The food arrived after about twenty minutes and it looked good. However, I have to say that the pasta tasted very strong. It was overwhelming of a fish smell. It was too strong but if you like that, then you would love this. There were sufficient amount of prawns and I liked the king prawn still in its' shell. The pizza was OK. Just basic really and din't make me think that I couldn't wait to come back to the restaurant.

Conclusion:-

This was a very average restaurant. Nothing exciting, no amazing taste, nothing that was really good or really bad. I get the feeling because of its' location alone, it gets more than enough business. If this was an independent restaurant on the outskirts, it would have been closed down due to lack of business.

Italian food that was avaerage.

Pinnochios

Pinnochios

Restaraunt name:-Pinnochios (Italian)
Loation:-              Old Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne
Date/Time:-          9th March 2017/8pm

Atmosphere 8/10
Hygiene 9/10
Price 9/10
Service 8/10
Taste 9/10

OVERALL 9/10

This really is a gem of a restaurant and it is great that it is in a town like Ashton-Under-Lyne rather than in a city centre as it just adds to the quaintness.

On arrival, we were greeted by a jolly waiter who directed us to our table. It was noticeable that tables were very close to one another in this restaurant and it is very small. Such is the popularity of the place that about three years ago, they had to open their upstairs to the public as part of the restaurant. However this is a very small gripe which shouldn't put anyone off who may pass the place and not try it, thinking that it may look too small.

The restaurant was very busy considering it was a Thursday evening but I could imagine it being busy everyday of the week and it it not a negative point as this was part of the vibrant atmosphere. We were provided the menu straight away and offered drinks in a very polite manner.

We were provided with a midweek menu which has a selection of starters, mains and desserts for a very reasonable £13.99p for three courses. On request, you can ask for the main menu which we did. I personally like trying different things so opted to get four starters plus garlic bread to share. We opted for:-

Gamberoni Al Limone
(King Prawns with lemon juice, garlic and white wine sauce)                                          £8:50p  

Fritto di Calamari
(Deep fried squid served with garlic mayo and salad)                                                       £6:95p

Polpette al Pomodoro
(Homemade meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese)    £6:50p

Alette di Pollo
(Grilled chicken wings in a spicy tomato and garlic sauce)                                               £5:80p

Garlic pizza bread                                                                                                               £4:50p

House red wine                                                                                                                   £12:99p

When the food arrived, everything looked and smelled delicious-as it tasted. There was just about enough room on the table to fit everything on. All the dished arrived on small hot pans which was brilliant to keep the food warm. If the wine in our glasses was empty, there was always a waitress on hand to top the glasses up.

Conclusion:-

The food is actually amazing. Very tasty, very filling and very moreish. The service was fantastic with the staff not continuously asking us if we were OK which can get quite annoying. They were polite, friendly and seemed very genuine. If I had to say anything negative it would just be that you cannot help but feel involved in other peoples conversations as the tables are so close together and that the restaurant closes at 10:30pm. But  these are not major points at all!

Genuine Italian food.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone.