Taking Advantage Of The Sunday Offer At Martinos Italian Kitchen, Chesterfield
Published On Friday 5 May 2023 by Sticky Beak
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As much as The Flock loves a Sunday Roast (and trust me, we really do love this iconic British meal!!), sometimes it’s nice to have a change. For ages, every time we’ve driven into Chesterfield, we’ve said that we must go for a meal at Martino’s Italian Kitchen; in typical Sticky Beak style, we never seemed to get around to it though…until now 😊.
Fledge was off doing her own thing (aka recovering from a heavy night out!), so it was just me, Mummy Bird and His Nibs that got out of the jalopy, once it had been safely parked in one of the dozen or so spots in Martino’s own car park, to the rear of the venue. There was already a family sat down, tucking into some seriously good smelling food, and we sniffed appreciatively as we were guided past them to our table in one corner.
A charming, smartly dressed gent came over with the drinks- and food- menus, and we’d soon ordered a bottle of Peroni for The Man - £3.60 - (Martino’s only serve lagers in bottles) and a bottle of the House Red: a Montepulciano that wasn’t too shabby at all, and nicely priced at £16.95. We’d gone along to take advantage of the ‘half price Pizza and Pasta’ offer (excludes Seafood and Fish options) that Martino’s runs on Sundays, alongside their roast dinner (£8.95) for those that want it.
Settled in nicely, we took in our surroundings a bit more. Martino’s is decorated in a rich, jewel palate of Forest Green, Burgundy and Terracotta to create warmth and intimacy. Striking ‘spider’ lights dominated the ceiling, their arms reaching into a wide area to provide the maximum illumination. The polished laminate floor had a lovely shine to it that softened the darkness of the wood tables, and large prints of Italian landmarks broke up the expanse of plain walls. Further visual interest was provided by a huge potted plant, that had large, frond-like leaves. Not fancy-pants, but not hum-drum either.
To kick off, we ordered Trio Mare (£9.95, me), Funghi al Forno (£7.50, Mummy), and Calamari Fritti (£7.95, The Man). It wasn’t long before our lovely server was winging his way back to us, his arms laden with the beautifully presented dishes and, after the obligatory photos, we tucked in 😊.
My dish consisted of Crayfish Tails in Sweet Chilli, Crab in Dill Mayonnaise and King Prawns with classic Marie Rose sauce. Each element was in a separate row, with a colourful salad of Red Onion, Cucumber, Tomato and Mixed Leaves at one end. Now, for the price, the seafood was obviously going to be frozen, defrosted, and served (probably because they wouldn’t shift the volume of seafood to attract fresh fishmongers) and there’s no escaping the fact that I could tell that this was the case. However, that’s not to diss this starter: it was what it was, and for a smidge under a tenner, I couldn’t really whinge. The flavours were lovely, and the only gripe I really had is that the crab meat was a bit ‘soggy’ and the Dill-pimped Mayonnaise added more moisture, which wasn’t needed. I liked the heat of the Sweet Chilli sauce, and it paired very nicely with the fragrant flesh of the Crayfish Tails, and the plump King prawns ware perfectly paired with the tangy Marie Rose sauce.
As with my starter choice, His Nibs’ Calamari rings may well have been frozen, but the Tempura-esque batter that coated each one most certainly couldn’t have been; it was way too light and crisp – the sound elicited when His Nibs bit into it was fab😊. The same, flavoursome side salad as I enjoyed was on The Mans’ plate, which made me very happy as I got to have extra Tomato and Cucumber! A lightly seasoned, creamy dip provided the final flourish to this beautifully done dish.
Martino’s clearly come into their own with the homemade, baked dishes though; Mummy Bird was grinning like a proper smuggy when she got her first mouthful of the cheese-smothered quarters of Mushroom. The melted, golden cheese created those impossibly long strings that take ages to twirl around your cutlery when cut into, and the flavour was gorgeous; Chef had seasoned the sauce gently to enhance, rather than dominate this simple, but satisfying, starter.
Two members of the Martino’s team came to check that we were happy with our food, and our glasses were topped up as well at this point; His Nibs ordered another small bottle of the Peroni, too. Italians are natural feeders, so they were smiling as they cleared away a trio of clean plates 😊.
Mummy Bird loves Calzone, so she chose the Calzone Bolognese (£14.95 standard price, £7.48 on Sunday) for her main course. I ummed and ahhed a bit, eventually settling on the Pasticcio al Forno (£14.50/£7.48), and His Nibs fancied the iconic Italian offering, Lasagne (£13.95/£6.98). We also ordered a pizza-base Garlic Bread with Cheese (£5.80) to share.
As noted previously, the Italians are feeders but, even so, none of us (least of all Mummy Bird) were prepared for the sheer size of the Calzone!! To describe it as massive is possibly the understatement of the year!
Folded over, this huge beast filled a whole dinner plate and when Mummy cut into it, a cloud of steam erupted forth, carrying some seriously delicious aromas on its tendrils. Now you may, like we did, assume that a lot of the Calzone’s dimensions were due to trapped air, and that it would collapse like a souffle when opened up; nope, didn’t affect the size in the slightest! Chef had stuffed the beautifully tasty pizza base with Mozzarella, Tomato, Mushrooms, Ham and Pepperoni, topping the folded morsel with more Cheese and a rich Tomato sauce. The flavours just burst over the palate, cascading over the tongue in a symphony of taste, even the Pepperoni which was apparently ‘lovely and spicy, but not lip tingling’. Although it took a while, every last scrap got eaten: respect to the Mummy Bird for sheer determination 😊. Perhaps the TV series needs renaming to ‘Woman v Food’?!
Both The Man Birds’ and my meals were served in individual, oval dishes and each had a deep, baked golden and bubbling, Cheese top that got our senses on high alert even before we cut into them. In my Pasticcio al Forno, as well as plentiful Penne, there were lots of strips of moist Chicken breast meat to tuck into, partnered by wilted Spinach and Mushrooms that were all bound in a scrummy garlic-pimped, Tomato and Cream sauce.
This was a brilliant example of simple, hearty comfort food and it had me smiling with every mouthful I took 😊. Eager to grab every last bit of sauce from my bowl, I used a piece of the thin-crust Garlic Bread, pressing it against the surface wherever there was a trace of tell-tale, rosy toned liquid. I have to say that Chef is very skilful in his use of garlic; although it is undeniably detectable on the palate, it just dances at the edge of a meal rather than walloping in and drowning all the other elements out.
His Nibs’ Lasagne was ruddy superb, there’s no other way to describe it! This iconic Italian staple hadn’t been faffed about with in the slightest; it was just rich Beef ragu, layered with pasta sheets, topped with creamy white sauce and lots of Mozzarella that melts and forms golden bubbles – yum 😊. If you want a supremely tasty meal that delivers maximum flavour and satiety then it’s got be Lasagne, all day long, and Martino’s does a cracking version.
When our main courses first came out, a dapper chap called Sam brought a dish of grated Parmesan out and this is when the Italian humour began to shine. Ever the gent towards women, Mummy and I were gently served our requested amount of Parmesan (followed by mill-grinds of fresh Black Pepper from a lovely young lass), but when it came to His Nibs, Sam playfully swished a small spoon of cheese on his Lasagne and made as if to walk away. We all laughed at the theatre and Sam obligingly put more cheese on, to The Mans’ taste. Having some banter with your servers makes dining out a much more enjoyable experience, no? 😊.
If I had one criticism of Martino’s it would be the small range of desserts they do. I could’ve been tempted to Tiramisu, but The Man and Mummy didn’t fancy Fudge Cake, Black Forest Gâteaux or Pancakes and Ice Cream, and I don’t like eating alone. If there’d been a tangy Lemon tart or Citrus Sorbet, I think we’d have been having a third course; as it was, our tummies probably sighed in relief at the fact that we were stopping at 2 courses!
Superfans of Italian cuisine perhaps won’t ‘get’ Martino’s; it certainly isn’t posh or chichi and the menu isn’t the fanciest you’ll encounter, but… if you want a solid, no-frills taste of Italy, you could do worse than this restaurant in the Birdholme area of Chesterfield. Plus, the prices are pretty purse friendly; especially the Sunday offer that we availed ourselves of – our total bill (including the coffees we had afterwards and the tip we left) came to just shy of £78😊. Yep, this had been worth the wait to visit, and we’re already talking about going back to sample the pizzas. Hot Wings given here.
To book a table, ring 01246 275000 or visit the website www.martinoschesterfield.com, click on ‘menu’ and there’s an option to book a table.
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