Buon Appetito!

Friday night saw me enjoying cocktails with the girls at a local Italian chain restaurant. We then sat down to peruse the menu. Well, it never takes me long to choose as I just look for the V sign and decide. On this occasion I had the choice of a pizza or one vegetarian main - Parmigiana di Melanzane (aubergine bake). Luckily I quite like aubergines but many people don't. Whilst my friends were tucking into their steaks and fish I may have had to put up with a pizza. We ordered, the food arrived and yes, it was fine. 

My point, which I mentioned to the waiter, is that there is not enough choice on the menu for vegetarians. The Manager then arrived at the table and informed me that he was a vegetarian too. We had a discussion about the menu but he had only been veggie for a year and because the restaurant was a chain, it seemed his hands were tied. He did promise to send my feedback on though and hopefully something will be done as this was an Italian under the umbrella of Individual restaurants.

Still, my last dining experience with that chain had been worse. On that occasion I had ordered a butternut squash and sage risotto. For some reason there was no V alongside so I had checked with the waiter, explaining that I ate neither fish nor meat. Lo and behold, it arrived with a piece of prosciutto balanced on top! The waiter's response to my outrage was "it's just a garnish" and a free replacement. The risotto placed in front of me ten minutes later was, in all likelihood, the same dish with the meat removed and a quick blast in the microwave but I succumbed to my hunger and ate it anyway. The waiter's remark? "It's free. Please smile." Unbelievable!