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Restaurant Review – La Fonte Italian Restaurant Bistro, Corby, Northants.
Saturday night, 3rd January. It’s my husband’s birthday and we had no plans to go out for dinner as I’d planned to cook. Our eldest, home from University, is away for the weekend with friends, so it’s only the three of us at home. As I’d worked up to Christmas Eve and between Christmas and New Year, as well as on 2nd January, my husband decided that I needed a break and that a takeaway was in order.
I’d heard really good reviews about La Fonte Italian Restaurant Bistro in town so, as we all love Italian Food and, as the restaurant is only a few minutes drive from home, I decided to see if we could get a table. Being early evening, it wasn’t a problem and we arrived about 20 minutes after I called them. 5:30pm and there were already about a dozen other diners in there which is always a good sign so early in the evening on the quality of the food and service.
We were greeted and shown to our table by the window, presented with our menus and allowed a few minutes to settle down before our drinks order was taken. The drinks were brought within a few minutes along with freshly baked rolls and garlic butter and the order taken for our meals.
My husband and I started with the Bruschetta al Pomodoro. My daughter didn’t want a starter with her meal and was content to continue to enjoy her roll. The starters were brought within about 5-10 minutes and consisted of three grilled slices of bread topped with fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil, drizzled lightly with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The warm bread, the cold tomatoes and the dressings complimented each other perfectly.
The staff were unobtrusive but obviously very observant as the plates were cleared within a couple of minutes of us finishing.
Being a lover of fish, my husband had chosen one of the day’s specials; monkfish in an orange sauce served with potatoes and salad. The sauce was thick and clear as well as being incredibly flavoursome without being overbearing to the perfectly cooked fish.
My daughter chose the Penne Al Forno; a baked dish of penne pasta served with broccoli in a tomato cream sauce with mozzarella. The broccoli was cooked beautifully, still al dente but retaining its flavour.
I chose the Penne Pollo; a bowl of penne pasta served with chicken breast in an onion and tomato cream sauce. The chicken was tender and succulent and enrobed in a delicious sauce.
Three empty plates at the end of the meal laid testament to the quality and flavour of the food.
With no room for coffee and in desperate need for elasticated waisted clothing after so much amazing food, we settled our bill which came in at a very reasonable amount, being just below £60 including drinks, and headed for home.
We can thoroughly recommend La Fonte Italian Restaurant Bistro in Corby town centre. You can find it opposite the Corby Cube and opposite where the cinema is currently being built on George Street. We’ll certainly be back for a return visit soon. I can see us tasting the whole menu here!
La Fonte is open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner between 12:00pm and 10:0pm as well as on Bank Holidays between 4:00pm and 10:00pm. They’re closed on Sundays.
This review is the opinion of my family and myself. We were not sponsored, invited or re-imbursed in any way to provide this review and all meals and drinks were paid personally.
Restaurant Review – Castle Inn, Caldecott, Leics
One Friday evening a short while ago, just before my son left home to start his studies at the University of Nottingham, we, as a family, went to a pub/restaurant that my husband and I have been frequenting since we first met in 1984. Since then it’s changed hands several times and the restaurant has gone through a whole range of food styles over the 30 years we’ve been going there. Actually – typing that last sentence has just made me feel incredibly old! Did I really meet my husband 30 years ago?! WOW!!!!
Anyway, back to the restaurant review. We went to the Castle Inn in Caldecott set in the heart of the country in the beautiful Welland Valley on the borders of Northamptonshire/Rutland/Leicestershire where the restaurant can be found in the shadow of Rockingham Castle and serves food in an Italian theme. You walk in the door to find the old fashioned flagstone tiles on the floor, the oak beamed ceilings and a friendly smile from the staff. To the right you’ll see the impressive stone baked pizza oven. The smells that welcome you are evocative of any Italian Trattoria – garlic, tomatoes and stone baked pizza dough; truly delightful!
There’s nothing nicer than a crusty based pizza, stone baked to perfection and topped with tomatoes, cheese and herbs. My daughter chose a Margarita pizza, whilst my son went for a Hawaiian. These both came in immense portions – a whole dinner plate full and I did wonder if my daughter would be able to eat more than half. Her brother, on the other hand, was more likely to eat his and then devour the remainder on her plate!
I went for the beef Lasagne and salad, whilst my husband chose the Pollo Alla Castle; chicken wrapped in parma ham and stuffed with mozzarella, garlic and tomato sauce served with gratin potatoes. Both of these meals were very generous in portion size and tasted delicious.
How any of us had room for dessert, I really don’t know, but the kids and my husband did! I had to settle for a coffee as there’s no way I could have moved if I’d had dessert too. My daughter enjoyed the chocolate brownie and ice cream, my son had tiramisu and my husband the creamy pannacotta. Again these came in generous portion sizes and were tasty (yes, I did have a little taste of each of them – purely for review purposes, you understand!)
With drinks, our meal came to £81.20. None of us were disappointed with our meals or the service we received or the atmosphere. We’ll certainly be back again!
The meal was paid for personally by ourselves. We were not invited to dine at the restaurant nor did we receive any compensation for our visit. All views are personal to myself and my family.
Restaurant Review – Rio Bravo, Market Harborough
The time came in many parent’s lives when their eldest child goes to University. In our case it meant that our son was going to the University of Nottingham to read Physics. One of our last family meals out to celebrate his fabulous A Level results was at Rio Bravo Mexican Restaurant in Market Harborough one Friday evening in August.
Through the small doorway on The Square and up the stairs, you enter the Restaurant which has a nice, friendly feel and a welcoming atmosphere about it, as well as an open kitchen which is a bonus to any eating establishment in my eyes! Our waitress showed us to our table by the window overlooking the square.
To start, with our drinks order, we chose to share a portion of Nachos Sonora (corn tortilla chips with melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeño peppers with refried beans) and a couple of portions of Loaded Potato Skins, topped with melted cheese and spring onions, served with salsa dip and Special Chicken. These arrived to our table fairly quickly, despite the restaurant being quite busy.
To follow, my husband ordered the Camaron Cozumel; king prawns with garlic, onions, mushrooms and a creamy tomato verde sauce, served with mexican rice, flour tortillas and garnished with a mexican salad.
The children and I all chose to go with the Chicken Fajitas which came served on sizzling platters with onions, peppers and served with grated cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream, lettuce and warm tortillas.
The meals were presented in an appetising way and were of a reasonable size for any appetite, so much so that, none of us could manage dessert. Including drinks our bill came to £79.20, which I think was a little on the expensive side, bearing in mind that we only had one round of drinks and no desserts. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the quality of the food and no doubt we will make a return visit as a result!
Our visit to Rio Bravo was paid for personally and I was not sponsored in any way to write this review.