Premier Hospitality South West

Just Ask

ASK-Italian Swindon.
Written by Roma Publications

ASK-Italian Swindon.

 Inspired by all things Italian – especially the food – ASK Italian is a collection of restaurants serving up authentic, delicious cuisine across key locations throughout the UK.

With more than a hundred restaurants in its portfolio, ASK Italian is a leading name in the high street dining sector, with a profile which continues to rise.

Keen to keep the brand at the forefront of the industry, ASK Italian continues to introduce new restaurants into its collection, taking its current total of venues up to 111. ASK Italian’s latest additions, ASK Italian Swindon – located within the town’s Regent Circus complex – and ASK Italian Maidstone – situated on Earl Street – offer a dash of flavour, a big dose of style and lashings of great service.

Premier Hospitality recently caught up with ASK Italian’s Operations Director, Phil Boyd, to find out more about the new sites. Phil told us all about the new restaurants and explained what makes these openings so special.

ASK-Italian Swindon.

ASK Italian’s Operations Director, Phil Boyd, said:

“ASK Italian Swindon is a brand new restaurant installed right in the heart of Regent Circus, a five acre leisure development which includes a mix of retail and hospitality offerings. ASK Italian Swindon is located on the mezzanine level of the development and is situated opposite the entrance of Cineworld.

“Like all of our new ASK Italian restaurants, ASK Italian Swindon takes its inspiration from contemporary Italian design ideas, to present a stylish venue with a fresh vibe, which is both warm and very welcoming. This all stems back to our vision of being lovers of everything Italian and wanting to bring that warmth to the British high street.

“As for the layout, the restaurant includes a café-style area with mid-height tables at the front; an open kitchen so diners can see the chefs in action; and a dining area, with textured marble wallpaper and banquette seating that includes iconic stitched details, inspired by the interiors of Italian sports cars. We have also incorporated marble into our bar counter.”

ASK-Italian Swindon.

ASK Italian Swindon opened its doors on the 16th January 2015, whilst ASK Italian Maidstone fired up its ovens for the first time on 2nd April. Gary Bluff Projects Limited was the main contractor tasked with delivering the restaurants, whilst Gundry & Ducker was the architectural practice for Swindon and Turner Bates for Maidstone.

Both restaurants serve up a fantastic menu of classic Italian dishes created from the finest Italian-sourced ingredients – buffalo mozzarella from Campania, extra virgin olive oil made especially for ASK Italian from family olive groves in Puglia, and passata di pomodoro from Emilia Romagna. Both sites have received excellent feedback from diners since making their respective debuts.

ASK Italian’s menu has been carefully developed, in association with acclaimed chef Theo Randall, to ensure that each dish is as appealing as the next, with a fantastic array of pizzas, pastas and sides. Dishes include the calzone con carne piccante, the insalata di pollo e pancetta, the rigatoni al manzo piccante and of course the good old fashioned margherita. Both Swindon and Maidstone also serve ASK Italian’s new brunch menu served from 10am, and an all-day menu of smaller dishes.

ASK-Italian Swindon.

Discussing the importance of the new restaurants for the development of the ASK Italian brand, Phil said:

“I think opening these sites is very exciting. Over the past five years ASK Italian has been on a significant transformational journey; from ensuring our menu serves up a range of authentic, classic dishes, to evolving our design and continuing to develop our warm and welcoming service.

“We have over 2000 employees and we’re a business that is enjoying considerable momentum and growth at the moment, so opening these new restaurants marks another new chapter in our journey.”

For more information about ASK Italian, or to book a table, please visit: www.askitalian.co.uk.

 

About the author

Roma Publications