The Man Bird and I had gone up to see the Geordie Bird (his mum) and being the perfect child he is, he’d booked a table at a restaurant he thought his mum would like – which, trust me, isn’t as easy as it sounds! Anyhow my trusty chap managed to find somewhere that would appeal to both his mum and us, a venue called La Casetta in Whitley Bay that serves Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
When you first walk through the door there is a smallish seated area, where some folks were already dining, and then there is a really long, galley-style space that seats more people. This space seems to go on forever and certainly belies its outside appearance of being a fairly compact restaurant; it reminded me of Doctor Who’s Tardis, if I’m being honest – not that that is a criticism in any way!
We were greeted very warmly and taken to our table, which was right at the back of the restaurant: a bonus because we weren’t going to have anyone walking past us during our meal. The table was also in the ‘flight path’ of the kitchen, so every so often we got wafts of mouth-watering aromas surfing over us that made our appetites even keener!
His Nibs and I both ordered starters; GB didn’t because she has a small appetite, so it was Tzatziki for me (£4.95) and Potato Skins with Garlic Mayo for him (£4.25). Both The Man and I were expecting his Potato Skins to be hollowed-out, halved spuds with filling in, but when they arrived they were like thin slivers of skin-on Potato and they were brilliantly crispy and non-greasy. A separate pot of Garlicky Mayo was big enough to be dunked into again and again, which The Man was very happy about – there’s nothing worse than having a dipping starter that you run out of dip halfway through!
I love the simplicity of Tzatziki, and thanks to Covid curtailing my travels for what seems like an eternity (!) I haven’t had it for yonks. As the cooling, creamy yoghurt glided over my taste buds the punchy Garlic note made itself known, tempered by the mild, slightly Melony (to me, anyway) flavour of Cucumber. A drizzle of fruity, golden hued Extra Virgin Olive Oil was all the garnish this simple dish needed, and a quartet of lightly toasted Ciabatta made sure that it stayed in a beautiful, scoop-able mound.
Our lovely server, a smartly attired young man, had checked back to make sure we were enjoying our starters and was happy to clear away a pair of spotlessly clean plates; whilst he was doing this he asked if we were ok for drinks – I do like someone that is a good time manager!
For mains, Geordie Bird had ordered Penne Pasta with Chicken, Mushroom and Cream (La Casetta will do half portions of this, we know, we checked due to GB’s first question always being this when we suggest going out!) and a side order of chips (she might as well have skipped this and just had a normal portion of pasta, in my opinion!), I went for the Lamb Kleftiko (£12.45) with a Greek Salad (£6.45) as a side, and His Nibs had spotted one of his favourites, Fillet Rossini (£19.95) so he went for that, and this came with a choice of Chips, Vegetables or Salad – no prizes for guessing which he went for! We didn’t have overly long to wait, just the usual time you would expect from a lively kitchen that cooks food fresh-to-order.
Chef at La Casetta is definitely a feeder; the half portion of GB’s Penne just about filled the deep, white bowl it was served in! Even a reduced portion was too much, but the staff kindly boxed up the leftovers for GB to have at home another time. Geordie Bird did say that she thoroughly enjoyed the flavours within the dish she’d chosen though, which is the main thing isn’t it?
The Man Bird was tucking into his cooked-medium slab of Fillet Steak with a huge smile on his face, and when he came up for air said that it was super-tender with a great depth of flavour to it. The Steak had been topped with a beautiful thick layer of rich Pâté and an indulgent Marsala sauce with all the elements combining to make a really tasty dish that was being totally savoured by my beloved.
I had gone for a Greek/Cypriot Lamb Stew called Kleftiko and this is one of those soul-warming dishes that are comforting and jam-packed with taste. The Lamb itself was incredibly tender, with a deep flavour that lingered beautifully in my mouth and the Tomatoes, Peppers and Feta Cheese provided their support and more layers of taste on the palate. Garlic-laced Potatoes were cut into large pieces (like roasties) and I busied myself with mashing them down so that their floury graininess could soak up all the juices in the bottom of the tray; yum, yum!!
In contrast to the piping hot Kleftiko was the cool, crisp Greek Salad I’d ordered and this was a Masterclass in simple accompaniments making all the difference. This rainbow hued salad had all the tastes and textures anyone could want in it and was delightfully refreshing. Colourful food always makes you feel happy and more inclined to eat it, I think, and this was soon all within the appreciative confines of my tummy.
With our main course plates cleared away, we were asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu; daft question, of course we did! Geordie Bird skipped dessert (perhaps as well cos she scoffed her own weight in biscuits when we got back to her house!) but me and The Man jumped straight in with our requests of Sicilian Lemon Sponge with Vanilla Ice Cream and Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice cream respectively.
His Nibs was more than impressed with the Sticky Toffee Pudding; it had a great, dense texture with a correspondingly rich taste. The sponge managed to be hearty without laying heavy on the tummy and was capped with plenty of dark, smoky tasting Toffee sauce that brought out the sweet roundedness of the Ice Cream.
As sweet and rich as the Sticky Toffee Pudding was, my Sicilian Lemon Sponge was zingy and tart. I was properly pleased with myself for choosing such a refreshing finish to my meal. The light textured sponge was pale in colour and the Lemon sauce and Redcurrants that crowned it seemed to be brighter against it. This was sunshine in a sponge, and I could’ve eaten it all day long if my appetite would’ve allowed this!!
All of us said that we’d had a lovely evening at this Whitley Bay restaurant and that we’d happily return. Hot Wings awarded here, and thanks to the team for making it a memorable family occasion.
