Review: A Sunny Lunch in the Med

Let me begin with a confession.  Despite having Italian heritage, I tend to loathe eating at Italian restaurants as I am utterly convinced (usually correctly) that I can do better at home for half the price.  Isn't the whole point of eating out to try something new or eat a favoured thing that is either too complicated or too fiddly to make at home?

But in the interests of blogging, it is sometimes necessary to go against my gut.  Plus having just moved to Penarth this summer, it seemed a bit rude not to explore (and review) the local restaurants.  And so we found ourselves on the Esplanade on an unseasonably warm day in September, determined to try somewhere new for lunch.

The Mediterraneo is situated on the seafront with glorious views across the Bristol Channel to Holm Island.  The sun was shining and with the smell of salt in the air we headed inside to find a meal.  There were already a number of diners both inside and out as we were shown to our corner table.  At first glance, the dining room is small and dark - not improved by the dark wooden beams and single window lighting the room.  In fact it was so dark that despite being midday, all of the wall lights were on.  The decor itself looked a little tired, needing a fresh lick of cream paint, whilst the disco lights and CCTV camera in the main eating area were just odd.

Menus followed swiftly and the waiting staff were tripping over themselves to take our order, returning ever minute or so to check if we wanted anything.  After perusing the lunch time menu we settled on Funghi con Gamberetti (£2.95) for him and Melon with Prosciutto (£3.95) for me.  As we waited for our starters, another waiter came over and again tried to take our order.  I nearly repeated myself as he looked rather forlorn that somebody had already taken care of his diners.   

The mushrooms and prawns were plentiful, having been cooked simply in a garlic butter and served with a small side salad.   The melon was cut into a fan and served atop two thin slices of the ham - the honeydew juice soaking into the salty meat underneath.  We both agreed that whilst both dishes were ok, they were nothing to write home about.

For mains we'd decided on Cozze Pomodoro (£7.95) [mussels in a tomato sauce] for him and Spaghetti Chorizo e Grappa (£9.95) for me.  The mussels, served in a huge bowl with a portion of thick cut chips, were slightly overcooked in their thin, tomato and chili sauce.  Sadly they had been roughly handled and the sauce was peppered with bits of broken shell, making for an unpleasant dining experience.  The spaghetti started off well, with a thick sauce, spiked with the salt and heat of the chorizo.  Sadly this was quickly drowned out by the sweet grappa and quickly became cloying to where I couldn't finish the meal.

With a jug of water and a lemonade to drink, the final bill came to £26.95.  The food was, for the most part, mediocre and perhaps the menu, like the decor, needs a bit of freshening up.