ASK Italian - Newcastle — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

OK so immediate summary - pricey for the small portions; one bad food service experience but potentially tasty food.

Background - stopping in for lunch on Sunday whilst shopping. 2 adults, 2 kids.

Not at all busy - ate after 1pm when the peak crowds had gone - we were sat down quick, in a booth, drinks orders and food order taken quickly and effectively. So far so good- but then... food order was 2x margherita pizzas (kids), special carbonara and sea food linguine. The latter basically contained little & almost seafood: it was graced with mussel shells on top, but like the guy from the Mr Muscle TV adverts, the mussels were sadly missing. There was also unopened shellfish in the dish. To be fair the staff were quick to ask 'how are things' and when told, were very apologetic and quick & willing to replace the dish the replacement dish and in fact all pasta dishes served were small vs. the steep prices charged - £12 to £15 per dish for really quite small portions Kids were nagging so being saps, we got desserts x4 which were ok (I've had equal quality from desserts bought from Iceland) and were prepared/delivered slowly and fragmented meaning one of us had those coffee-and-small-dessert options - they brought the coffee and then we wait 15+mins for the desserts. On its own this would not be an issue but as part of an overall experience, this was a further frustration. We ended with the annoying experience of even waiting to get attention to pay the bill, being on the cusp of getting up to do so before being noticed (watching the serving staff on their phones, so they weren't otherwise occupied) We won't be going back, it was a shame as these were silly things, undermined by high prices and small portions of otherwise tasty food. Even with the replaced dish/meal not included (which was an appreciated gesture) the bill for 4 mains, 4 desserts and 4 soft drinks was still £76! If the portions had matched the prices, we wouldn't...

Party of two. Wednesday afternoon.

The area was busy with guests for about 30%.

We were waiting for reception that long we almost decided to go to another place.

The reception was in a rush. My question to accommodate us to my preferred seeds was ignored. Instead of ansfer, she roughly asked us for any allergies that i hadn't even heard. My daughter explained to me that later on. The British female receptionist ran to the place he decided for us, and at the time we reached the table, she served the complimentary shots of some juice without explaining what it was.

Another female attendant, i believe shi was Italian and was more gentle and intended to servicing process. That pnly what was apriciated and it adds the forth star to the service section.

Going to food. There was served One king prawn only in plate of pasta that has named Rigationi with king prawnS. The two most delicious deserts, chocolate lawa and chocolate etna, were not available. Disappointed. If you take tiramisu like I did, I would recomend to have it with a cup of coffee. Otherwise, it is too sweet. This recommendation hasn't been offered by the attendant. The tird server was in a rush, just dropped off the desserts, and disappeared, that doesn't add you a filing of comfort but likely much ado. Galley exhaust needs to be improved. The area is in the smell of burnt food. The most unpleasant was the loud ringing phone, some there in the bar area. Surely, next time before entering the area, I would ask for the deserts' availability... the rest I can get at other places. Compared to our last wisit party of four somewhere in June 2024, the level...

I dined at Ask Italian in Eldon Square on 5 February 2025. I ordered the Fettuccine Bolognese. The dish was obvious not cooked to order as it came within less than 5 minutes of me ordering. The pasta has clearly been chopped or broken during its preparation as there were several strips of fettuccine that were less than an inch in length. There were also several pieces of pasta congealed together. There were 4 pieces of pasta congealed together in one instance. Furthermore, the pasta was cold and the presentation poor. I was served a glass of Prosecco in a glass that had lip marks on it, and was also dirty on the base.

I also ordered a "flat white bailey's martini" which usually contains coffee liqueur. I appreciate that this may have been out of stock on this particularly occasion. However, it was replaced with more vodka, which made the cocktail far too strong. I also ordered a garden mint tea which had far too few mint leaves for a teapot of the size ASK Italian uses.

The service was very good, especially for a chain. The branch seemed to running on just enough staff members on Wednesday.

I look forward to hearing how ASK Italian's management may resolve my experience from Wednesday and restore my faith...