La Trattoria — Restaurant in England

Largely, the food was good, although the veg bowl was 80% potato.

The decor was getting a bit tired and the menus seemed battered.

The staff were lovely, but perhaps a bit inexperienced/unknowledgeable about what they sold.

Be advised, if you order soda, they'll charge you £2 a pint. They don't have it from a soda gun, but don't always remember to tell you. If you order soda and they don't tell you it comes in bottles, and they don't bring the bottle over - don't pay for it.

Additional edit in response to the owner's reply below - which probably tells you a lot about the owner and their ignorance of what's required. -------------------+++++------------------

You ask me to explain to you, so I shall:

If I order a pint of soda water from a soda dispenser and you don't have one, that's fine, but you have to say that you only sell it in bottles. Then you need to bring me the bottle of sparkling water you're selling me, not just a pint from it.

Even if you did have a post-mix dispenser, I'd expect to pay for soda water if it was my only drink, after all, there are overheads. Although I would expect the serving staff to say something along the lines of 'we charge 50p for a glass of soda water, would you like me to get it?'

However, as I pointed out politely to your staff, we spent almost as much on drinks as I had on food. 4 glasses of wine, a pint of lager and a brandy.

As a licensed establishment, you are legally required to provide tap-water free-of-charge. So the only extra cost you would incur from providing fizzy water from a soda-gun over tap water is the cost of the carbon-dioxide used to carbonate the water. Fractions of a penny.

Sadly, at this point your bar staff pointed out that they needed to charge for the soda, because it came from bottles. I pointed out that I hadn't been informed of that when I requested soda from a post-mix gun and therefore couldn't be expected to pay for it. If I'd been told, I would have changed my order.

So I wouldn't say I was upset at all. I just pointed out that I was either being over-charged for soda from a soda-gun or that I was being billed for something I hadn't ordered. I asked for £4 to be removed, still leaving a £90 tab, which we paid with apologies for the confusion and compliments to the staff and food.

As for the ice, made with water that you pay for, I specifically asked for no ice, but it came with it anyway and I had to fish it out. Water from a soda gun comes cold enough without it. If you're truly aimed on cutting costs, that might be one place you can focus your efforts.

It feels like this may not be the first time you've had a discussion like this, and given your response, maybe you should examine your behaviour towards your staff.

If they're feeling intimidated, it may be down to you. Certainly, in the bars and restaurants that I've worked in, it has been the temperament of the owner/manager that sets the tone of the establishment.

I absolutely agree that serving staff should be treated with respect and kindness. We should probably be a bit more respectful of the police force's time but on the other hand they might enjoy a laugh.

Good luck with...

EatDrinkYorkshire.co.uk Review

Nestled in the heart of Helmsley’s picturesque market square, after passing through the doors of La Trattoria we instantly exchanged a chilly, fog-drenched autumnal night for a wonderfully warm oasis full of colour and life. The place was positively buzzing!

With just 25 covers ‘cosy’ is the word, yet without feeling at all cramped, even with the presence of a bar in the corner that had, like a flame to a whisper of thirsty moths, drawn in patrons eager for nothing more than a drink and a chance to soak up the crackling atmosphere. Throughout the evening proceedings were kept suitably stoked by owner, Francois Strydom, who flitted hither and thither between tables, ensuring that any empty glasses weren’t left empty for long.

As good as the bar and the ambience were, the bar hounds that weren’t sampling the food were certainly missing out given the culinary delights that awaited us…

First up was the Crispy Squid (£6), little whorls of battered deliciousness served with lemon and an accompaniment of tasty mint dressing and garlic aioli. Selected from the restaurant’s Small Plates Menu, in all honesty we could have easily gone for any of the other mouth-hydrating dishes on offer. Our other choice was the Large Mussels (£6), which also hit the mark, being both pleasingly meaty and well cooked, helped along the way with a generous lashing of spicy tomatoes.

After such a promising start we eagerly awaited our mains with growing expectations…

The Asparagus Risotto (£12) was beautifully creamy, almost melting in the mouth, contrasting nicely with the crispy slivers of the (optional) prosciutto and al dente discs of asparagus.

The Pork Tenderloin Milanese (£14), meanwhile, with the accompaniment of black truffle and a duck egg, made for a solid protein-rich dish that was perfect for warming our core, both physically and mentally, after escaping the cold autumnal night we’d left waiting outside. Proper soul food.

Complemented with what turned out to be a well recommended vibrant bottle of a rich chocolately Pablo Walter Malbec (£22.95), the evening’s food was every bit as heart-warming and mood-enhancing as the atmosphere offered by this quaint and utterly unpretentious little Italian restaurant.

You’d be well advised to secure yourself a table to see for yourself. Just be sure...

Went last night 4/8. Staying at the Black Swan. We weren't going to make the mistake of eating there again so booked the Trattoria. Not to sound like a w...ker but just back from our annual break in Italy we tried to manage our expectations of this provincial Yorkshire Italian.

Still, was looking forward to it.

My mistake, when "the boss" visited table with his automatic, not actually caring, perfunctory "is everything alright "guys" I answered in the required British way: "Yes, thanks".

But it really wasn't.

Starter was as well as expected. Crispy Squid. Bits of squid deep fried in batter. Simple but basic yum.

Secondary problem: my seafood linguini. The menu promised a festival of diferent species of shellfish. What I actually got was about 3 miniscule bits of clam (many many empty clamshells) and miniscule shrimp doing the heavy lifting. Essentially nothing else. NOT what the menu led me to believe. The sauce was viciously overpowering in its tomato sharpness.

Primary problem: my partner ordered the carbonara. Our waiter offered her parmesan. I asked for some too. At which point the waiter (estimated age 17,) turned to me, nudging 60 and said - incredibly pretentiously - "are you sure? Parmesan on linguini?"

A message for that young man - Yes!! I was f...g sure or else I wouldn't have asked. That is what I wanted. And i am the customer. Cheese & tomato paired? Hardly groundbreaking.

I only wished I'd put more on - would've taken the edge off the overpowering tomato sauce: have a word with yourself lad - it's a wee restuarant in Helmsley.

HE, with that arrogance, spoiled a mildly disappointing dining experience.

Wish I'd been less British and opened my mouth...