7:00am Monday 1st June 2009
By Maria Court
WELL, we’ve had weather hotter than the Mediterranean recently, and now here’s a restaurant to give the French Riviera a run for its money.
The experience starts even on the approach to Salterns Harbourside Hotel, where state-of-the-art homes and luxury boats greet you on arrival.
This is the South Coast’s premier marina, and to get a good view of the water craft coming and going, as well as the views beyond, an ideal vantage point is the Via Veneto restaurant.
As its name would suggest, the menu is Italian, but the décor is in keeping with the coastal theme, with wooden flooring, decked terrace and colonial style blinds setting off the swathes of fresh white tablecloths.
On a recent weeknight, a lovely chatty atmosphere welcomed us to the busy restaurant. We noticed that many people were ordering the pizzas which looked amazing, and, as the priciest on the menu is just £7, it was obvious the customers were getting great value for money.
Even the Calzone, the folded pizzas are priced just £8 and our conversation stopped when we saw one practically the size of a rugby ball!
Other items on the menu include risottos, salads, meat and fish, and two sections of pastas – dried and freshly homemade.
Well how could I resist? I enjoyed my ravioli al prosciutto e formaggi – pasta pillows filled with ham and cheese in a very tasty creamy smoky bacon and tomato sauce.
Beforehand I’d gone for the scampi fritti – king prawns and shrimp fried in garlic butter, served with crisp garlic bread. I’d forgotten what natural bedfellows seafood and garlic butter were, and my only wish was that there was more bread for dunking.
My friend chose the antipasto misto, a carefully selected choice of cured Italian meats, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes and huge marinated olives. The perfect fresh, summery starter.
To follow she went for the merluzzo con prosciutto e basilico – baked cod fillet wrapped in parma ham and basil. These traditional Italian flavours really complemented the moist chunky cod which was served with chips and a green salad with walnuts and apple.
The dolci – desserts – also had an Italian slant with the likes of lemon sorbet with grappa and mint; traditional tiramisu; and chilled espresso syrup with cream and ice cream.
I was eventually persuaded with baked vanilla mousse, set in a glass on top of raspberries and served with Italian amaretti biscuits, while my friend went for the bread and butter pudding. But this wasn’t just any bread and butter pudding. Baked to order, and served sizzling in a flat dish, it used the traditional panettone bread and included big chunks of apricot. It was delicious and surprisingly light, while a scoop of mascarpone added a touch of decadence.
Overall, we were impressed with the service and Mediterranean atmosphere, but unlike St Tropez or Cannes, you won’t be paying the A-list prices.
The weekly changing menu is priced at £10 for two courses and £13 for three courses.
Via Veneto, 38 Salterns Way, Lilliput, Poole. Tel 01202 707321; salterns-hotel.co.uk.
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