Trattoria treat

Published:

BANCHORY is a delightful place. The sun always seems to shine, it has some interesting shops and not one, but two fantastic golf courses. And before you ask, I neither live there nor work for the Banchory tourist office, at least not at the moment.

It also has its fair share of restaurants, and one of the latest additions to the eating-out scene at the gateway to Royal Deeside is Franco’s, tucked away down a lane alongside the Stag Hotel.

A Sunday afternoon visit to soak up some of those spring rays of sunshine all too often obscured by haar when living nearer the coast offered the chance to try this cosy little Italian trattoria for a family meal.

The decor is warm and friendly, as is the welcome from the staff. We had called in just after lunch and were told there was no need to book for an early evening visit, although when we returned, a couple of tables were already occupied and the place filled up fast. Franco’s is clearly a popular place to visit.

The menu doesn’t take too much effort, and I have to confess that this is something I like when eating Italian. Some restaurants seem to pride themselves on offering 20 different pasta sauces and almost as many varieties of pasta with which to combine them. Franco, if indeed he exists, has kept things nice and simple, and that scores a point right away.

From the starters, we opted for the smoked salmon and trout and a portion of bruschetta.

The fish was a sizeable portion, and it needed to be, given that the younger members of the party decided they had to sample some with the complimentary bread and butter which was helping keep hunger pangs at bay.

My own choice was excellent, but given that there is little preparation in the classic dish of toasted bread, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil, it would be difficult to go wrong.

Main courses were all traditional Italian fare – a classic cheese and tomato Margharita pizza; Vitello alla Milanese; Ravioli with a sauce of cream, brandy and Dolcelatte cheese, and chicken stuffed with ham and mozzarella.

Let’s start with the pasta: perfectly cooked and served with one of the best flavoured sauces I’ve ever had in an Italian restaurant outside of the country itself. The only problem? There wasn’t enough of it.

It’s not that I am a big eater or want a plateful so large that I couldn’t possibly finish it – I just didn’t feel there was enough on the plate to justify a main meal. But I could not fault the quality.

The chicken was coated in breadcrumbs and served with a selection of vegetables. It was moist and melted in the mouth and gained pass marks, while the pizza was light and crispy.

The Vitello alla Milanese, pan-fried veal coated in breadcrumbs and served with spaghetti and Bolognese sauce, was a first attempt for number one son. He cleared the plate and took another step on a rapidly expanding culinary journey. I tasted it for the purpose of research and was equally impressed.

We chose to give the dessert menu a miss, but it, too, was populated with a handful of Italian standards, including tiramisu and panna cotta.

The service throughout was good and the surroundings allow diners to sit back and relax. Franco’s is not a pretentious place and it’s the sort of restaurant where the entire family will get a warm welcome. We certainly did, and if the sun fails to shine in Aberdeen city through the summer, I’m certain we’ll be staging a return visit.

Our bill, including two soft drinks and an excellent bottle of house red wine (which we stuck the cork in to take home the driver’s share) was a very reasonable £57. At that sort or price, giving the designated Sunday dinner cook the day off and taking the family out for a treat is extremely affordable.

And, who knows, with the weather Aberdeenshire has been enjoying lately, you might even get a sun tan into the bargain.

Franco’s Italian Restaurant, High Street, Banchory. Phone 01330 826093. For information on the area, click on www.visitbanchory.com