Restaurant review: Warm welcome, zesty cocktails and authentic Italian food at ASK in Stratford

Italian food has never been my ‘go to’ cuisine of choice.

I’ve never been excited by carborific pizza, pasta, served with mountains of garlic bread dripping with cheese.

That is, until now.

I was invited to ASK Italian in Bell Court, Stratford.

It was a pleasant sunny autumnal afternoon with a festive whisper in the air.

We headed to the charming Bell Court in the heart of the town, close to the many tourist attractions and local shops, and just a short stroll from the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre.

Manager Jakub Hebda and assistant manager Bex Kane greeted us warmly and showed us to our booth, perfect and romantic for our lunch date.

Our experience started with two small glasses of complimentary homemade pink lemonade (it was really good). We then decided to sample some of the new cocktails. I went for the non-alcoholic versions, which were just as refreshing and punchy as my partner’s.

We recommend the lemon drop spritz, a blend made with local gin, sparkling sanpellegrino limonata and Prosecco and the gin-ger snap made up of gin, lime and lemon juice and fiery ginger beer.

If you’re not drinking, the strawberry blossom spritz is a must. Lemonade with flavours of cherry blossom, strawberry and rosehip.

Not wanting to fill up before our mains, we shared a cheese fondue served with toasty bread bites and rosemary and olive oil bread with a spicy tomato dip.

Bellissimo.

I had carbonara for main, a little on the safe side, but it didn’t disappoint. Lovely and creamy, seasoned well and perfect portion size.

My partner went for king prawn and crayfish frilly tagliatelle, made up of succulent king prawns and crayfish in a creamy seafood and tomato sauce with a hint of chilli.

Although we both love fish, we decided the carbonara was the tastier of the two.

There’s plenty of show-stopping desserts at ASK. We shared the Sicilian lemon tart with mixed berry coulis and a scoop of vanilla gelato. Neither of us are particularly sweet-toothed, but this was divine.

I love to have my mind changed and this wonderful establishment did just that.

Romantic setting, soothing atmosphere (so nice not to have loud music blasted in our ears like some establishments) and wonderful food. Vegan/vegetarian options available.

What more could we ASK for?

Expect to pay...

Cocktails from £6.25 (non alcoholic)

Bottle of wine from around £20

Starters from £3.95

Mains from £11.25

Desserts from £4.75

https://www.askitalian.co.uk/italian/restaurants/stratford-upon-avon