Review: Restaurant Italia Plus at the Coquetvale Hotel, Rothbury

For such a small place Rothbury has a surprising number of places to eat and drink and a good variety of cuisine to choose from. There are plenty of pubs, an Indian restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a variety of cafes and tearooms. On this occasion we decided it was time to revisit Restaurant Italia Plus at the Coquetvale Hotel which is located just a short distance from the River Coquet. We visited on a Thursday evening and received a warm welcome from the staff behind the bar who asked if we had booked a table. To be honest we hadn't considered booking, but fortunately they were able to squeeze us in provided that we were able to vacate our table by 8pm. As we had arrived early (approx 6.15pm) we thought this would be no problem and as we were to soon find out, Restaurant Italia Plus is certainly a popular place to dine. The interior is unexpectedly grand to say the least with it's high ceilings, beautiful cornicing and softly lit intimate atmosphere. First impressions are really important and it would be difficult not to be pleased with the stylish look and feel of the restaurant and the friendliness of the welcome.

Potato Skins Starter (£3.95)

We were given our menus and the special 'early bird' offer was explained, if you order your main course between 5pm and 6.30pm the price you pay is the time you order! We didn't know about the offer in advance so quickly made up our minds, there was still plenty to choose from on this menu. Starters ranged from £1.95 to around £3.95 which we all agreed seemed extremely reasonable, we chose the home-made soup, potato skins and the pate between us. Our drinks arrived £14 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio and £3.40 for a bottle of Peroni (sampled just to keep the Italian feel, of course...). The starter portions were generous and was pretty much exactly what we expected from the description on the menu.

Fresh Soup Starter (£2.95)

The potato skins were just that (not hollowed out jacket potatoes, thankfully!) with a good serving of dipping sauces and a light side salad. The fresh home-made soup was tasty and looked really quite appealing and the pate's proportions were well beyond it's £3.45 price tag. All starters were readily consumed and while they didn't deliver a huge amount of style or delicacy they were definitely flavoursome, delicious and extremely good value for money. By now the restaurant was almost packed to capacity with a really diverse clientèle - a 70th birthday family celebration on one table, lots of couples and a teenagers birthday meal on another. It all made for a bustling atmosphere without ever being too lively to overwhelm conversation.

After a brief wait it was on to the main event and we had chosen to sample: Pizza Pepperoni (Pepperoni sausage, chilli oil, red onion, grated mozzarella), Pollo Piccante (Roasted chicken breast with chorizo, roasted peppers, garlic and spicy tomato sauce) and Costada di Manzo al Diane (6oz rib-eye steak with sauce of mushrooms, French mustard, red wine and cream). All were priced at £6.25 as we ordered at, you guessed it 6.25pm and came with a choice of vegetables, chips or salad.

Pizza Pepperoni

I had the pizza and what can I say? It was a taste sensation, honestly one of the best pizzas I have had since sampling the world famous Lombardi's in New York's Little Italy, Americas first pizzeria. It was what was done differently here that made it so special, the red onions were slowly caramelised, not fresh and sharp which married with the flavour of the pepperoni beautifully. The light touch of chilli oil gave a bite that was softened by the herbs and creamy mozzarella, it is just a glorious combination of flavours that was bang on the mark. I am somewhat of a pizza fanatic so this is high praise indeed! Our other main courses were also very well executed including a very moist chicken breast with a rich tomato sauce and a steak cooked with precision, exactly as ordered.

By now we were approaching 7.45pm and we were very aware that we had agreed to leave our table by 8pm. We were asked if we would like to order a dessert and questioned whether or not we would have the time with the member of waiting staff. The lady who looked like she was in charge came over to us and said she had re-arranged the tables to accommodate us, should we wish to take our time over dessert. This was a lovely gesture and we decided to order just one dessert to share between us as the rest of the meal had been so substantial.

We opted for the Pear and Basil Tarte Tatin which was actually turned out to be the low point of the meal. We needn't have worried about the proportion of the dessert and the flavour was overpowered almost completely by the use of herbs. Add into this a slightly undercooked pastry base and I wasn't exactly enthralled by the end to our meal. My dining companion on the other hand said she thoroughly enjoyed it...
vive la différence... or whatever the Italian translation of this might be.

Restaurant Italia Plus' Scores
Venue: 4 out of 5
Ambience: 4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Presentation: 3 ½ out of 5
Taste: 4 out of 5
Value for Money: 4 ½ out of 5

Overall Score: It's not the authentic Italian feel that you may get from such places as Marabini's or Gianni's in Morpeth, but the food elevates the restaurant way beyond this very slight niggle. A wonderful atmosphere in what is obviously a very popular restaurant delivered an excellent Italian Meal. 4 out of 5.

My scoring system explained: 5 = Outstanding, 4 = Excellent, 3 = Good, 2 = Average, 1 = Poor

Contact Details
Restaurant Italia Plus at The Coquetvale Hotel
Station Road
Rothbury
Northumberland
NE65 7QH

Tel: 01669 622900
Fax: 01669 620379

email: stay@cvhotel.co.uk

Web: www.coquetvale.co.uk