Digest this mini review in 60 seconds
Venue
It was a rather large pub (The Wheatsheaf) dating back 100 years or so, but for a year it’s been an Italian restaurant, though it still has the proper pub bar. It’s in the quiet, well-to-do village of Ness, and one suspects it depends upon repeat visits from a local clientele.
Menu
Authentic Italian: pizza, pasta and more sophisticated dishes, but with a few nods to pub grub, such as fish and chips. We had starters of king prawns in spicy white wine sauce on crostone (£8.95) - four huge crustaceans in a piquant sauce - and calamari (from a two-course, £12.95 set lunch menu) which was fresh and lightly floured, avoiding the all-too-frequent rubber band syndrome.
Our mains were a solidly flavourful lasagne (from that set menu) and pasta stuffed with lobster in a creamy prawn sauce (£11.95) which was rich and fulfilling, an accomplished bit of cooking. Pick of the desserts was tartufo limoncello (£4.95) - a frozen ball of lemony flavour with a perfect balance of sharpness and sweetness.
Decor and ambience
Airy and pub-like, but tastefully done out in muted greys and aubergine, with a mixture of tables and booths. Piped music was properly Italian - O Sole Mio and the Godfather theme.
Service
Friendly and relaxed. You can tell it’s a family-run concern.
Cost
Three courses each and a few drinks came in at less than £70. Recommended.
The Inn at Ness
Neston Road,
Ness,
Neston
CH64 4AP
0151 336 6336
www.theinnatness.co.uk
Louise Allen-Taylor
