A CATCH-UP on girly gossip deserves a good meal to accompany it.
And at Luigi’s, that’s exactly what you get.
The eatery, inside Westhill’s Holiday Inn hotel, is both comfortable and modern with friendly staff ready to take your order – or leave you to natter with pals.
The restaurant offers a hugely varied menu with plenty of pasta and pizza staples alongside more unusual fish and meat courses.
And if it’s a bargain dinner you’re after a special week-night menu offers three courses and a half bottle of wine per person for just £20.
Me and my pal were tempted by the good-value grub – but since she is pregnant and I was driving, we decided to avoid the booze and choose from the main selection.
While diners are perusing the choices on offer each table is given fresh bread rolls and different oils for dipping.
But a word to the wise, watch out for the chilli choice – it’s seriously fiery.
For a starter I fancied the soup of the day which was an interesting sounding cream of sweetcorn with a smoked haddock bonbon (£3.95).
The thick soup was really tasty, and the addition of a crispy ball of fish was different and delicious.
My friend went for the fritto misto (£5.95).
This generous portion of shellfish and calamari was doused in a light crispy batter and served with a tangy dip. My friend loved the starter, but it was just too big.
For my main I opted for my Italian favourite, spaghetti alla carbonara (£9.50).
Al dente pasta was served with crispy pancetta in a sauce which was just on the right side of creamy. It was served with garlic bread, and again was tasty but a bit too hefty to finish.
My pal went for the penne alla arrabiata (£9.50). Pasta tubes, again with garlic bread on the side, were covered in a rich tomato sauce with an added kick of chilli flakes.
My pal said the sauce packed a little punch, but was not as full of flavour as it could have been.
There were plenty of tempting puddings – but after two extremely generous courses even the tiramisu and gelato were too much for us.
So we had a couple of coffees to continue our catch-up session for a little longer.
With juice along with the dinner, the whole meal came to a reasonable £40.
So, whether it’s a bargain dinner or something a bit more swish you’re after, look no further than Luigi’s.