Alex Shapley November 2019 update - theyve added new items to the prix fix menu so Ive added a few more photos...
Original review is below
Im a regular at Al Fresco (Whetstone , so I though I should write a review of the restaurant that I visit more than any other, (well, its less than 100 yards from my flat and I dont like cooking!) - as this is my regular restaurant, this review is a little longer than usual... but I hope it all makes sense.
Al Fresco has the best Prix Fixe deal (weekdays only) in Whetstone (IMHO) - its the best value and has the greatest time-range (eg it starts at 12pm when the restaurant opens and goes on to last entry at 6.30pm - ie as long as you are sat down my 6.30pm, you can have the fixed price menu). This menu has a soft drink (you can upgrade to wine if you want), starter and main course (with a side eg salad or polenta) all for £12.10 (eg £11 meal and £1.10 10% service). There is always a choice of 5 starters and 5 mains - the Prix Fixe menu alternates approximately every week to 10 days.
Ive tried to include some photos of Prix Fixe meals Ive recently had (I only took the photos as my mother wanted to know what the food was like).
My favourite prix fixe dishes are...
starters: bruschetta, calamari, tuna and bean salad
mains: roast salmon, chicken with asparagus, chicken with spinach, vegetarian pasta with aubergines & olives, (and pizza - but dont tell my GP about the pizza!)
The portions tend to be Large (whether prix fix meals or a la carte) - but they do do doggy bags (eg one of my friends can never eat more than half her pizza, so she always takes the remainder home in a box for her next days lunch).
The owners have apparently changed recently - but the managers and staff are the same - the core staff always seem to stay for a long time, so as a regular I always get a friendly welcome.
Most of the staff (managers, waiters & cooks) are Italian but they all have a good understanding of English - many of the other lunchtime regular diners are Italian too, which I think is probably the best recommendation for any Italian restaurant.
I have a disability, and the staff almost always get to the front door of the restaurant before me to open it - I appreciate this greatly.
My sister is vegetarian with dietary issues (eg lactose intolerant diabetic) and they always manage to accommodate her needs too.
Friends who used to live in Italy (and now live somewhere else abroad) always insist we go to Al Fresco, as they say it is real Italian pizza (which they cant get where they now live) - it should be real Italian, as the pizza cook is a Real Italian!
They do delivery too (I think this is via one of the well know delivery companies) and every evening there is a queue of delivery people waiting by the pizza chef.
Mustnt forget - they have a loyalty scheme now, so you get c.5% of the value of your meal in points (these add up for a free meal later on).
