Dining Out: Lanterna Ristorante, Queen Street, Scarborough

We entered the premises and were met by a friendly waitress who sat us in the window table of a somewhat dated interior. I was a little bemused by the orange curtain that covered the window, meaning we were cut off from our Queen Street surroundings.

After taking our drinks order she talked us through the specials for the evening. I didn’t realise I needed to bring some popcorn as she reeled off around 15 different dishes. The quantity of fish dishes is impressive though, with the owners clearly wishing to incorporate Scarborough into their Italian cuisine. I was extremely impressed with her memory skills to talk us through all the food in detail but you’d think a board would make life easier.

We booked for a Friday evening, though when we arrived we were one of four tables in – though they mentioned they were fully booked on Saturday. I’d heard great things about the Lanterna and my mouth was drooling just looking at the array of food on offer – on top of the specials!

I chose the Ravioli al Cervo which was thin layers of pasta filled with venison, parmesan cheese, eggs and spinach with a roasted venison sauce. The rich sauce was a delight alongside the fruity and nutty taste of the huge shavings of Parmesan.

My girlfriend opted for the Tagliolini al Vitello e Pecorino which incorporated egg pasta with a sauce of veal and pecorino cheese. The dish is not something she would usually pick to start. However, the veal was very flavoursome and the cheese melted in her mouth, complementing the varying textures.

The main course was an extremely difficult choice with me making a last-second decision to go for the Costato di Manzo ‘La Bella Rosin’. This was a sirloin steak cooked in a creamy sauce with rosemary and Parma ham topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese. I had asked for the steak to be medium, though in my eyes it was slightly overcooked. However it did not hamper the taste of the juicy steak and the delicious creamy sauce mixed with the salty and succulent ham.

It was not until after we’d ordered when we thought about what came with the food because it wasn’t made clear on the menu.

Thankfully we had chips, new potatoes and peppers to accompany our food which were delicious and mopped up the remaining sauce left on my plate. My girlfriend tucked into the massive portion of sliced fillet steak cooked in a Gorgonzola cheese and red pepper sauce. The steak was beautifully tender and the creamy, sweet sauce was delightful – though she had to admit defeat. However, she always has the ‘pudding goes straight to the heart’ logic, and ordered the Bounet al Cioccolato for dessert. It was a rich, dark chocolate mousse with cream and crushed amaretti biscuit. Meanwhile I went for the Italian style Crème Caramel which was a lovely light way to finish a meal.

The food overall was delicious, but it certainly came at a price with the meal coming to £95.95 with one drink each –certainly top end of the market in Scarborough.

OVERALL: 8/10