NOVELLO restaurant came onto my radar thanks to a personal recommendation from a local resident in Lytham, and Chris obviously savours good food and a relaxed atmosphere.
I enjoyed the experience even if I was dining alone. Novello is easy to find, comfortable and the service is slick.
What's more, the care and attention to detail was a massive plus for this family owned and run restaurant.
It is in the main street in the up-market Lancashire seaside town but prices are extremely reasonable.
The gourmet menu, for example, has a two course for £18.95 and three course for £23.95. When I visited, a free bottle of house wine was provided with the three course from Sunday to Thursday. Check for changes.
So what was on offer? King prawn cocktail with aioli and rocket salad, Italian antipasto with fresh bread. Believe me the bread is fresh as they bake it themselves daily and it has a subtle twist.
Caramelised fig and mozzarella and rocket. There is also fried baby calamari. Mains on the day were chicken risotto with mushrooms garlic and cream, spaghetti with king prawns and crispy sausages, chilli and garlic, seared sea bass with sauteed potatoes and a tomato and basil salsa or seared sirloin of beef with red wine sauce.
Sweets were Italian tiramisu, orange pannacotta or sticky toffee pudding with butter scotch sauce.
OK, your mouth is watering so what did I choose? I pondered long and hard but went off menu. The range is extensive.
The caramelised chicken livers with smoked bacon and balsamic reduction were interesting. The smoked bacon gelled with the balsamic and this was a dish to be savoured.
I was sorely temped by the Lancashire fillet of beef with wilted baby spinach and red wine sauce and by the pan fried duck breast with sauteed cabbage, creamed potatoes and a red win jus.
However, I plumped for the seared sirloin of beef minus the rich pepper sauce. It was the fat chips which swayed the decision. Sorry.
It was such a good experience that I ventured back a few weeks later. I selected the seared sea bass this time and was not disappointed.
The dish was artistically crated and looked wonderful with the colour of the tomato and basil salsa contrasting with the remainder of the dish. The flavours all merged apart from the salsa which was, for me, a little tart. However, I'd have the dish again if I make a return trip, minus the salsa.
