This restaurant promises to be a 'New York Italian Restaurant & Bar' but the only contribution that the American side has made is putting BBQ in front of the all the meals and covering the thick, sickly, sticky sauce all over everything. Even though they're more spread out than your every-street-corner McDonalds, I'd still say that it's more quantity than quality with these places. At least I was shown to my table straight away by my waiter, Kevin.
My starter (once it finally arrived) which promised 'shredded crab' turned out to be a chewy, salty lump that hadn't been cut properly, as if it had been based on a toast rack. The menu promised it to be "served over toasted ciabatta" but in honesty they should have written 'served over over-toasted ciabatta' and saved my teeth the surprise. I don't know where any of my Basil went either, must have been caught in the wind during Kevin's short trip to my table.
Round 2. The main. Of course here the American obsession with 'BBQ' came into play, with only one main on the menu without the thick brown tar smothering it. I went for the pulled pork pasta bake, the pork and the cheese were a bit sparse, as expected from a stingy, chain restaurant such as this, but it tasted fine considering the cheap few-quid-a-tub sauce. Unfortunately my companion's experience with her main wasn't quite so pleasant, what with her 'crispy bacon' being half-raw and stringy from being cooked on too low a heat.
All hope was gone by the time Kevin came back for the final round. Dessert. I went for the cheesecake (which originates from Greece, but we won't get started on that.). I was most happy when the menu promised me 'real dairy vanilla ice cream' as if I'd been expecting some impostor this whole time. The ice cream was smooth, tasted fine but it was already starting to melt by the time Kevin arrived, so I was eating against time.
Overall, Kevin was pleasant and seemed to apologize every time my pencil hit my notepad as if it was him personally that I was reviewing. Most of the savory food should be labelled 'not fit for human consumption' but the desserts certainly made up for it. So to this 'New York Italian' joint I say, mai Piรน!
