If you have ever been to the Yorkshire Shopping Outlet and Xscape at junction 32 just off the M62 you might have thought ‘how do all those Italian restaurants survive when there is so much competition between each other?’ You could be a glutton and try each one to see which is the best but then that would not be good for your waistline or wallet. Instead, I asked a friend who at some point had tried each one (surprisingly he is as thin as a rake) and he suggested I try ASK. Would it be any good, dare I ask?
On a mid-week evening the restaurant was buzzing and practically full, obviously my fellow diners knew they were on to a good thing. Mind you, the two-for-one offer they had on (which sadly finished in January) might have also been another reason.
From Switzerland through the Alps and on to Napoli
We were given a welcome drink of raspberry juice as every guest was – nothing too extraordinary about that though it did feel like a nice gesture.
We were presented with a very thick allergen guide that listed everything on the menu and all the ingredients along with a special vegan menu.
I have tried cheese fondue many times whilst on holiday in Switzerland, so when this classic temptation appeared before my eyes on the ASK menu as a new starter it was an easy decision. If you ignored the 674 calories or the £7.25 price tag (you would probably pay double this in Switzerland) the combination of rich cheese fondue of aged hard cheese, mascarpone and mozzarella, served with bread bites, was perfect for scooping. A good start indeed, enough to inspire you to take up yodelling, though I resisted the urge as I didn’t want to empty the restaurant!
If you fancy a good pizza then the new pollo e roquito pepe stone baked pizza at £16.25 is excellent – lavished with garlic chicken breast, roquito pepper pearls, balsamic red onions on a tomato base, topped with fresh mozzarella, crispy smoked prosciutto and rocket. Yum!
My partner decided on the sea bass al forno at £16.95 which apparently was cooked to perfection. Served with baby potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms along with spinach in a white wine sauce, it must have been good as she finished off the lot.
La dolce vita
If you have enough room left, then the salted caramel gelato sundae priced at £6.95 might be a good choice – though they didn’t have any salted caramel ice cream at the time. At least they had the courtesy to inform us of this – you would not believe the number of restaurants I have been to that decide on a diner’s behalf what they should substitute if a particular item has sold out.
Happily, three scoops of vanilla ice cream still tasted supreme when served in a waffle basket with glitter-dusted meringues, white chocolate curls, cream and a wafer straw, not to mention garnished with a salted caramel sauce on the side. Worth every dolce mouthful.
My partner decided upon the new mini momenti – a trio of mini desserts priced at £6.95. In reality, what you get is mini versions of salted caramel panna cotta, a raspberry sorbet scoop and mascarpone with amarena cherries.
Admittedly ASK is not cheap but the service and quality of food are first-class.
As for my friend, the connoisseur of Italian eateries, he informs me he is going back to ASK next month, hopefully he will invite me along – it doesn’t hurt to ask.
ASK Castleford, Colorado Way, Castleford WF10 4TA
Telephone 01977 603475
