 This restaurant review was
undertaken on August 7, 2008
If you have walked past Ask in
Xscape and have yet to try this Italian restaurant, there’s a
good chance it is on your ‘must try’ list simply because it is
always so busy. Our table was booked for a Thursday evening at
730. The first thing to strike you about the restaurant is the
noise. It’s loud. My guest pointed out that with minimal soft
furnishings and reasonably loud music, the sound was literally
bouncing off the walls.
Food
Once seated we opted for some
freshly baked Ciabatta bread served with olive oil (£2.45) and
marinated olives (£1.95). I would rather have seen the bread
sliced, but my guest pointed out that breaking it apart
ourselves was “more fun” and on reflection, they were probably
right.
My guest ordered the Insalata,
baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, grana padano
cheese and freshly toasted crutons (£3.95) and requested this
without mushrooms. Despite the long list of ingredients, this
dish was on the bland side and was described as “a little
boring.”
Not a great start maybe, but I
was pleased with my own choice, the Mushrooms Al Forno, baked
mushrooms stuffed with mozzarella, grana padano cheese, chopped
mushrooms, onions, garlic and breadcrumbs served with a garlic
mayonnaise (£4.75). The mushrooms, served piping hot, were soft and
juicy and bursting with flavour. There was ample garlic
mayonnaise, and the coolness of this with the sizzling mushrooms
made for an enjoyable introduction to food at Ask.
For mains I was keen to try a
pizza. After looking for something spicy I was slightly
disappointed until my eyes met with the Versuvio (£8.35). This
is a new addition to the menu, spicy pepperoni, roasted red
peppers, and fresh red chillies, on a base flavoured with red
chilli flakes. I initially thought this would be a little too
spicy but my guest told me to “go for it!” This is another tasty
dish, with a thin and crispy base and plenty of pepperoni. Was
it hot? Let’s just say I would strongly recommend a bottle of
water to accompany this pizza. Please note I said “bottle” – I
very much doubt one glass of water will do the job!
My guest chose a dish from the
“Specials” the Risotto con Asparagi e Piselli (£8.95), creamy
traditional Italian Risotto made with butter, cream, grana
padano cheese and white wine, finished with asparagus spears,
peas and parsley. The asparagus was laid in the form of a cross
on top of the risotto and my guest commented that this was
“beautifully presented”, proceeded to go very quiet and finished
the lot!
Onwards to dessert but both
struggling to find the room, it has to be said the choices are
not inspiring but sometimes the menu does not do the food
justice. We both opted for the cheesecakes; my guest the Lemon
and Mascarpone Cheesecake (£4.95) and myself, the Honeycomb
Cheesecake (£4.25). Both were deep with quite thin bases. My
base was tastier and crunchier than the Lemon and Mascarpone but
was incredibly sweet, creamy and quite light. My guest’s
cheesecake was amazingly refreshing, zesty and not too rich. All
in all, a better end to our meal than a glance to the menu
suggested.
Décor
Ask almost has a café feel to it
with an open frontage, and lots of square table with minimal
decoration throughout. The bar is the most attractive feature
and it is always nice to be able to see the chefs busy at work
cooking your food. Unlike many chain restaurants, there is space
to dine in comfort, but this is not the place to go for a
romantic meal.
Atmosphere
Unfortunately I would say this
establishment is noisy as opposed to buzzing. Because it is so
noisy - you can see people leaning forwards to hear each other;
this does make you wonder why music is necessary. This was
however, still a pleasant experience, with a mixture of
families, groups, youngsters and the more mature clientele, this
is a place for anyone and everyone.
Service
The service at Ask was very much
a team effort and the staff were eager to please. Having so many
different waiters tending to your table does take away the
personal touch, but it worked surprisingly well. Making minor
adjustments to our menu choices and omitting certain ingredients
was not a problem. |
