A little taste of Italy - by the Banks of the Trent (Pontefino's Italian Restaurant (Gunthorpe, Nottingham))

Member Name: helencb

Product:	Pontefino's Italian Restaurant (Gunthorpe, Nottingham)
Date:	03/08/09 (402 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wide selection of food, affordable prices

Disadvantages: just needs to work on the finishing touches with service

It's not every day that a new restaurant opens in a small rural Nottinghamshire village. Nor is it every day that my local shuts for a private function on an evening. However, due to the latter, and the fact that I had a craving for a great big bowl of pasta, for my Sunday evening tea, I somehow ended up at Pontefino's in Gunthorpe, Notts.


Gunthorpe is actually home to three Trent waterfront restaurants, the other side of the river from my house, but nevertheless within an easy stroll. The third of these was the Anchor pub, and somewhere I had frequented only once in the last 4 years.

This old pub was unable to compete with the modern competition of the massive chain restaurant nearby and the slightly more upmarket Tom Brown's Brasserie. So a couple of months ago I noticed it was reinventing itself as a slick stylish Italian restaurant.

My first opportunity to visit was quite recently. We had not booked a table, and Sunday nights can be difficult if you want to dine out in a place that doesn't have a menu provided by Wetherspoons.

There is plenty of parking for the restaurant, in fact the grounds are quite an eclectic mix, as there is outdoor dining, but also a huge field out the back and there were several caravans hooked up for the evening. The car park was absolutely bursting, which we took to be a good sign. Although the restaurant looked fairly quiet from the outside, once we got inside we realised the extent of its seating capacity/covers - it did manage to absorb them all quite easily.

Inside, and we were warmly welcomed by the restaurant manager who invited us to get a drink and take a seat in the waiting area. This was welcome while we diligently read the menu placed before us. My observations that the décor was slightly unfinished, predominantly a black and white theme, with some modern black and white art in places, but still plenty of bare wall. The seating area was a slightly odd mix of furnishings - all black leather, some sofas, and some swivel chairs, all in front of a traditional brick fireplace, a feature of the old pub (which I had only been in the once, so I could barely recognise).

We were soon seated at our table - the general layout of the tables was welcome, as this had been a pub, there were several small semi private areas although we were seated near the rear bar. I selected a vegetarian crepe starter followed by fettucine au salmone, while hubby opted for deep fried whitebait and a pizza...there was plenty of selection in the menu in including pasta, pizzas, grills and fish etc, and I expect I will have to visit a couple of times to sample a few more dishes.

Starters were typically around the £5 mark while pasta and pizza around £8-9, which we felt was very reasonable.

Generally speaking we found our service acceptable. The staff were impeccable in their approach, although there were a few areas that required a little bit of polish. For example, the single gentleman sitting behind us had paid a visit to the gents - and his food came out. Strictly speaking that should have been taken back to the kitchen and kept warm for a couple of minutes. I didn't particularly enjoy the wine I was served by the glass so asked to see a wine list and unfortunately they were between suppliers and expecting the new lists in the following day, so they could sell them but nothing to peruse. There wasn't a massive range, and I am not a massive fan of European wines so I stuck with the house wine for another glass.

Food wise though, and it was delicious, We both loved both dishes that we ordered and left four clean plates behind. I cannot comment on the quality of the whitebait, but his pizza was really yummy, and my fettucine was laden with plenty of smoked salmon and avocado.

Although tempted with the tiramisu, we declined the pudding and coffee options. I am quite fussy where my specialty coffee is concerned and as I had not seen any others being poured, I did not want to spend the extra money and then be disappointed. I could have course missed the best coffee of my life...

I am trying to remember why we both left feeling the service just needed a little brush up. The staff were all well mannered. I think it was the serving of the gentleman's dish behind me and the fact that the same gentleman was served an expresso by a bar man who had a towel over his shoulder. I accept they are new and I am certainly going to visit the restaurant again, particularly for a midweek meal or weekend evening meal for two - however I would be reluctant to take visitors until I knew the service levels had been polished up a few points here and there.


Overall cost wise our bill was around £41 including two rounds of drinks, which I think was more than fair given the lovely surroundings and nice food. I think as the restaurant matures in both its service levels and as the internal aspects are completed then it can only go from strength to strength. Situated in a lovely picturesque village by the River Trent, for informal dining, price wise it is represents value.


Address Details:

Pontefino
Gunthorpe
Notts

www.pontefino.co.uk

Summary: A nice little find ideal for informal dining for friends and famillies.