El Castello — Restaurant in Hart

Always WAS the best restaurant in Fleet. We haven't been for a while, as we knew the menu backwards and had been trying other places. Decided to make a booking as wanted the quality and comforting feel of familiarity. We were welcomed. The atmosphere and surroundings were pleasant and always felt like being somewhere on holiday. We were presented with menus, which had changed since our last visit. A few errors on the menu with spellings, but not that would have been picked up on a spell check, but physically reading through would have spotted them, like 'wild board' rather than wild boar for example. The prices had increased, especially on the starters, but with the cost of living and price rises everywhere, this could be the reason. The menu was reduced in size, but again, enough to choose from. My friend and I always love Calamari, and the El Castello calamari was always beautiful, succulent, and perfect in rustic shapes. The battered rings we were served on this visit were dry and chewy. They had flavour, but I was disappointed compared to previous visits. Especially at nearly £10 per serving. The main menu had some changes, and we noticed a seasonal item, and both opted for the Ravioli with pumpkin and sage. The presentation was good, and the pasta itself was good, but despite the added parmesan and black pepper, the whole dish tasted like eating a dessert, as it was so sweet. Yes, pumpkin is naturally sweet, but the sage was not evident, and no other seasoning seemed to have been added either. There was nothing to cut through the sweetness. We moved onto dessert, a banoffee pie, and a salted caramel cheesecake. The presentation again was good. The cheesecake was OK and inoffensive. More caramel and sweet than salty, but pleasant enough. The Banoffee pie was not nice. Same texture from top to bottom, no base to break through, not crumbly or biscuity or anything. Stodgy and creamy from top to bottom. There was no obvious banana in either pieces or layer and just unpleasant texture. This was left after one mouthful as not nice enough to eat. The service was varied. One waitress was very pleasant, attentive, and had a lovely natural manner. The others came across as just doing their job and going through the motions. Not unpleasant, but not personal and warming. When the dessert was discussed, we were offered an apology and asked if we would like an alternative. The dessert did not appear on the bill, and we were given two complimentary limoncello shots at the end. 10% service charge is included on the bill automatically. We were disappointed with what was our favourite Italian restaurant and won't be returning. Initial impressions still look good, and the presentation of food was good, but the quality and attention to detail were lacking. The redecorated ladies toilet, now including disabled hand rail and baby change table, shows a lack of attention to detail. Firstly, the layout has changed, presumably for space for the before mentioned facilites, as there are no separate cubicles within this door, just one big space with a toilet, sink etc, and the kitchen staff could be heard talking from within, so it didn't have the feeling of privacy from the point of the customer. The paint on the upper part of the walls was on the lower tiles, and had clearly not been masked off, and there were paint splashes on the toilet roll holder and in places on the lower walls. Sadly, what was a top-quality restaurant in Fleet has changed, and though it still had some good points, it is a big loss. I am guessing a change of management and the old El...

We thought we'd go out for a Valentine's Day dinner to what used to be one of our favourite restaurants. We won't be going back. When I enquired as to what vodkas they stocked, I was told ' Smirnoff..we're a restaurant not so much a pub', so ended up with a G&T instead of Absolut/Goose. Hubby ordered the fungi for starters & was given 1 portobello mushroom with rocket on the side..we brought it to the server's attention, & after she, & I assume the manager, checked the menu, he was given another mushroom-as they'd noticed it said mushroomS & not 'a mushroom'. I ordered medium rare Rib-eye steak strips for mains. The meat was cut into strips & hidden under a forest of lettuce & tomato with parmesan. The steak was cooked as ordered, but inedible..in the sense that there was more fat & tissue than meat, & I ended up not eating about 90% of that steak. I wish I'd taken a before/after picture of the plate! Hubby ordered pork belly- which had roast potatoes as an accompaniment- & mixed vegetables as an extra side. We all love a good apple sauce with pork, so hubby asked a server if she could bring some..they'd run out she said, after speaking with the guy preparing pizzas in the kitchen. Another server told us "it's an Italian dish, so it doesn't come with apple sauce". You'd think that a 'great' restaurant like this one would have even a bottled apple sauce somewhere in their kitchen. They did have mustard however, & that's what he ended up with. According to him, the pork was 'ok', but the crackling wasn't. I could see it wasn't crisp, & he'd not eaten any of it. The bottle of Shiraz was lovely, & the G&T was what I'd expect from anyone who knows how to mix 2 liquids together & chuck a straw in a glass. Throughout our dinner, not once did any staff approach to ask if 'everything was OK.. do you need anything else?' Common courtesy when you dine out anywhere. At a restaurant that rates 4+ stars, the least they could have done after seeing our plates, was a apologise for the poor standards. Including a bottle of wine, a G&T, & service charge, the bill came to...

We came for a Mother’s Day meal and the menu had a good selection. The Interior is a nice layout, modern with a classic Italian atmosphere, the tables were nicely spaced and nothing cramped.

Our first order of drinks, we all got ours with the exception of my mum, on Mother’s Day? How can they forget that..

Food was good but the steak wasn’t worth £22, however it was cooked correctly as requested. Rice balls as a starter are incredible! Deserts were average.

On our 2nd order of drinks, another drink for my brother had been forgotten! Once is okay but twice just got annoying. It made us feel like they were doing it on purpose.

But the main reason for the 2 stars is because it just lacked the customer service, nobody seemed interested in our table and none of the staff appeared very happy. The service is always something I look for when going to a restaurant and unfortunately here it was poor.

Also they add on 10% service charge onto your bill, I normally tip very well so it’s uncommon to see it forced onto your bill.

I wouldn’t return even if it was discounted. Shame but still enjoyed our Mother’s Day...