Everyone loves a good Italian restaurant. Whether you’re a pizza lover or a pasta fiend, Italian cuisine caters to a variety of tastes. Yet with so many Italian restaurants in and around Cardiff, it is sometimes difficult to choose where to go. We went along to Ask Italian in Cardiff city centre to judge the place for ourselves.
Our first choice to make was our drinks for the night. I opted for the tropical mojito, it came out very fruity, almost like juice! We also opted for the Hard Lemonade which was a combination of Vodka, limoncello and their handmade lemonade and as the designated driver of the night, Alice had their raspberry still lemonade. All were crisp and refreshing, perfect for the scorching weather.
For starters, Gemma and I opted for butterfly king prawns. They were oven-roasted on Italian bread and seasoned with garlic and parsley. Despite being very hot when they came out, they were succulent and seasoned perfectly and we also got 5 whole prawns! Alice 
opted for the Melanze Al Forne; aubergine in tomato sauces with mozzarella and breadcrumbs. It was lovely and rich with enough cheese to create that satisfying cheese pullbetween the dish and the fork. We also ordered the Mushrooms Al Forno. They were a twist on the usual garlic mushrooms, with garlic and breadcrumbs inside the mushroom. Again, the portion size was very generous and was definitely worth the money.
Then we moved swiftly onto our main courses. We all had something a little bit different. I opted for the chicken and mushroom risotto which was wonderfully creamy. Alice chose the Rigatoni Al Manzo Piccante; rigatoni pasta with meatballs, ragu, fresh chillies, roasted peppers and caramelised onions, topped with mozzarella. Gemma went for a classic margherita pizza with some extra pancetta on top. It was deliciously succulent and cheesy.
A few more tropical mojitos later and the desserts arrived. Me and Alice went for the bakedchocolate gnocchi filled with Nutella with chocolate sauce on the side. It was a chocoholics heaven! It was so rich and chocolatey; I wish we had seconds! Gemma went for the Melting Eton Mess Tower. It was definitely the show-stopper of the night. They poured hot red berry coulis onto a tower of dark chocolate encasing strawberries, cream and meringue.
We loved Ask Italian for its authentic Italian-ness. All the food was delicious and rich and our drinks were perfectly refreshing. Overall, Ask Italian was great, from the food to the humorous napkins on the table. It’s a must visit for the future.