Ole Sole Mio Two _ Port Solent

                      Good deals but not the best Italian Grubgang have had!!

So here it is..........March's Grubgang review in May lol!! We are pleased that Gemma was feeling better in order for us to attend her choice this visit. Ole Sole Mio Two in Port Solent is the second restaurant in a chain which Gemma was drawn to try, especially with their Mon-Thurs deal of £6.50 pasta or pizza meals.......bargain!!

So, knowing we would happily get three courses for our £20, we got stuck into the menu!! The starters were top notch! We were so impressed with the whitebait, chicken strips and salmon with melon, that we were so very eager to have our main courses!! The starters had come quite promptly too, which was great as we were all hungry!!

Unfortunately, our main courses were not as well received. Gemma, who has become a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to carbonara, was very disappointed with this restaurants version which was very salty with the use of gammon in the recipe. She felt that it wasn't quite to her taste and if it had been clearer in the menu, she may have not chosen it. Dean felt his meal was so- so, choosing the gnocchi dish. Mike was the most unfortunate however, with a very burnt lasagna which was borderline inedible. Had one of the other members been given this dish, we would have sent it back! There was no sauce left to speak of and Mike was just too nice to say otherwise!!

It was only myself who really enjoyed her main course. The calzone was huge and absolutely delicious! The base was light and so very well made! You cannot fault the portion sizes, but it is a shame the group were not all overwhelmed with their meals.

Onto dessert..........well, poor Gemma wasn't too impressed with her chocolate orange bombe, but the others enjoyed their desserts! I would definitely recommend choosing a dessert from the specials menu as they are homemade, whereas the ones on the dessert menu do tend to be frozen desserts. Compliments to the chef for the caramel cheesecake!!

It seems to us that many people come for the main course deal and leave, therefore eating for £6.50. It is a shame that more people do not have more than one course as it may help the restaurant to concentrate more on the quality of the food. It did feel a little like the mains were just got to the table without any care or attention due to the fact it was for a cheaper price.

The decor of the restaurant and the staff were lovely. The waitress we had was friendly and had a little laugh with us, which was nice. Gemma would suggest that spoons be given to people ordering carbonara, which she wasn't, and therefore there is a little point deducted there too.

All in all, a nice experience, we came out satisfied but not overwhelmed. There are nicer Italians out there for the Grubgang budget.

Marks out of 10.................................................................................... 6