By Gareth Dant

SETTING aside an unmemorable airport layover in Rome many years ago, I’ve never been to Italy.

For culinary reasons alone, I know it’s a big miss. I’ve enjoyed some beautiful Italian cooking over the years, but never at source.

I will correct it one day soon, but in the meantime I was interested to see a newcomer in the neighbourhood that might take me just a little nearer.

Last year Sean Lockyear, who previously managed Middleham’s White Swan Hotel, took on what in a previous life was Oswald’s, in Sowerby.

It’s a pretty spot in the village’s lovely Front Street. The new owner is gradually refurbishing the rooms that occupy the buildings around the restaurant, which is reached via a courtyard set back from the road.

We’d last eaten here seven years ago and not been overly impressed. I gather it has changed hands more than once since then, but hopefully will now settle down and flourish.

Arriving on a recent Thursday evening, we took to a sofa near the woodburner in the bar while we looked over the menu.

I’ve eaten in enough Italian restaurants over the years to know that there are not too many surprises therein. Ten starters range from £5 to £8.50, including a range of risottos made to order (these are also available as a main course for £15).

There was a choice of five pizzas (£10-£13.50), six pasta dishes (£11-£13) and a couple of extra meat dishes and chalkboard specials.

We made our choices and moved into the restaurant area, passing the huge wood-fired pizza oven en route.

A fantino, by the way, is a jockey – no doubt a nod to the nearby racecourse. A cartoon of a spotty-shirted rider adorns the restaurant’s printed materials, from menus to paper place mats.

Before I’d translated the word though, I was a little confused as to whether the little man was a horseman or a racing driver, as the other discernible theme of the restaurant is classic cars – presumably a throwback to Mr Lockyear’s earlier career as a classic car dealer.

It’s a nice spot that’s been tastefully updated, with scrubbed pine tables, pastel painted chairs and stone floors, plenty of fresh flowers and nice thick linen napkins.

It’s a big place to fill, and those floors make it a bit noisy, but on a busier weekend night that’s less likely to be a problem.

Anna had chosen antipasto Toscano – a selection of Tuscan salamis and cheese (£8). They came on a wooden board with some grilled bread and a little salad. Masses of meat – at least four varieties – but fairly unremarkable cheeses.

I’d done what I normally do if I’m uninspired or undecided about starters, and applied the Soup Test. It’s fairly simple, I reason – if a kitchen can make a decent fist of one of the simplest of all dishes, then all should be well.

And all was well – the minestrone (£5.50) was beautifully done, with a good flavour, chunky vegetables. No beans, but with some satisfying chilli heat.

When it came to a main course, I’d reasoned I had to give that pizza oven a try – after all, it would be a shame to let those logs go to waste.

The pizza del giorno (£13.50) was a lovely thin giant disk embellished with dolcelatte, crispy pancetta and leeks. As it turned out, I discovered that I’m not a fan of blue cheese on pizza (although I love all blue cheeses in any other circumstance), but that was my problem – it was a good pizza, with generous numbers of bacon strips.

Anna had gone for pasta: penne alla Norcina. Al dente tubes with a rich, thick sauce of cream, wild mushrooms and tasty little chunks of sausage. Plenty of it, but nevertheless satisfying down to the last mouthful.

Desserts were similarly familiar – from the ubiquitous tiramisu to the panncotta and, of course, gelati (all £4.50). A cheese selection with figs and honey (£6) was promising, but we’d kind of had the cheese course first.

Anna went for the tiramisu, which was nice and delicate. My Sicilian lemon posset (£5.50) was lovely and tangy, served in a glass on a slate alongside fat fresh raspberries, a dab of Chantillly cream and some biscotti that had been billed as almond/fennel, but which I thought slightly bland. I realised, all too late, that I’d had exactly the same pud on our last outing, to Burneston. Both were good.

With a beer, fizzy water and a tonic water, the bill was £63.50.

The service had been cheerful and pleasant, but just a tiny bit intrusive – I never appreciate having conversation interrupted, but will always happily curtail it myself if staff will only hold off, politely, after approaching the table. Nor do I like to hear staff chatter loudly nearby or clatter the chairs as they reset tables for tomorrow’s sitting. They should wait to do the latter until that day’s guests have gone.

But these are fairly minor quibbles. The surroundings are pleasant and the food pretty good.

Whether the latter’s authentic or not is something I can’t judge.

Fantinos
Front Street, Sowerby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 1JF. Tel: 01845 523655 Web: www.fantinos.co.uk
Food served: Tue-Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-3pm. Closed Mondays. Fine for disabled

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 7 Surroundings 8 Value 7