Il cibo dell’amore perfect for Valentine’s Day

Italy and Italian’s are known for their love of romance so its hardly any wonder that their cuisine makes the perfect  il cibo dell’amore –  food of love. So why not take a leaf out of their book and go Italian on Valentine’s Day.

Gino de Campo’s restaurants are noted for their great authentic Italian cuisine. During  lockdown they have had to close their doors – but don’t be down hearted, you may not be able to go the restaurant but with their Ginodacampo2go.com, which operates from their Springs Restaurant in Leeds and the Harrogate Restaurant the restaurant can come to you.

The whole concept of placing your order is simple and the beauty is there is a running total guide at the side so you know how much you are spending.

On the Gino site you can choose from bundles or from the extensive a la carte menu. The bundles  include Date Night, Movie Night, Mum and Dads Night Off and for those on their own Singles Night.  There’s also a mouth watering Sunday lunch option..

You can even order your soft drink, water, beer or wine to be delivered with your meal.

Our meal arrived exactly on time in  boxes which contained the food all packed in containers with plastic lids. There were even re-heat instructions – all you have to do is remove the plastic lid and pop in a pre-heated oven.

Table set, candles lit and the wine cooler at the ready, and we were ready to enjoy our romantic meal. We had chosen a Villa Teresa Doc Extra Dry Wine to go with our meal – I have drank this before and really it’s the only Prosecco that I really enjoy.

For starters from the Bruschetta & Anti Pasta Menu I chose Arancine – crispy mushroom risotto balls with mozzarella that came with a tomato and red pepper sauce but found that the inside was a little soggy and tasteless. My partner’s Crispy Cod with Lemon Mayonnaise on toasted Ciabatta was tasty and an excellent choice. The fish was succulent and the coating crispy with the flavoursome mayonnaise a good additive to the dish bringing out the flavour of the fish.

My main course had to be my Gino’s favourite. Crispy Chicken Breast stuffed with Mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, basil and pesto. Be warned if you are ordering this it is a very large portion of chicken breast and all you really need is either a salad or some fries to accompany it.  I chose mixed salad which was crispy and everything the dish should be.

Rib Eye Steak was my partners choice for main course. It was cooked exactly to his requirements (you can do this using the drop box on line when you order) and came with an excellent  peppercorn sauce and fries. A side order of green beans completed his main course. They  were tasty, well presented  and cooked just right.

When it came to our Heaven on a Plate, I must confess, I tasted both! My partner’s choice was Cherry and Almond Tart with Mascarpone and it was a big portion. The pastry case was light, buttery and crisp and the tart filling was just right not overly almond flavoured.

It only very occasionally I choose a cheesecake but this looked so wonderful I decided to give it a go. The Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake is made for the chocoholic but yet its cleverly made so its not too much chocolate! The biscuit base is thick and tasty with the actual filling smooth, light and fluffy. The serving of sour cherries as a side dish with it gives a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate. A real heaven on a plate.

But there was one thing I did miss from Gino’s restaurant – someone to come and clear the table and do the washing-up!

To book a delivery from either Harrogate or The Springs, Leeds visit www.ginodacampo2go.com

Food can be collected if desired. There is free delivery within a five mile radius.