With Vicky (my trusty sidekick) at my side, I ventured out the other side of Leicester last week for dinner at Boboli, a family run Italian restaurant in Kibworth. We often find we need a midweek pep me up and it always makes sense to tie it into trying somewhere new. I’ve been meaning to eat at Boboli for ages as I’ve been aware of them for a while – the same people own The Lighthouse nearby which is also meant to be very nice. 
 
The outside of Boboli Italian restaurant in Kibworth

We arrived in glorious early evening June sun and chose to sit outside. The waiter was great and didn’t mind coming back at least three times because we’d been gossipping and hadn’t actually looked at the menu. In that time however, we did manage to order drinks – in homage to our recent trip to Valencia in Spain we both drank Estrella Damm Lemon – so good for warm evenings! It’s a shandy so its refreshing and a good option for drivers but still like drinking a beer. 

Estrella Damm Lemon in the sunshine
Their menu changes monthly and is laid out in a traditional Italian way – with antipasti, primo platti, secondi platti, dolce etc.. and they shout loudly about their pizzas too but I can’t comment on those as neither of us chose to eat them that night. They do look good though!  To start we shared the Grand’Antipasto which is (£6.95pp for min of 2 people). Presentation was rustic but very pretty on a big slate and the dish included an artichoke, asparagus and egg salad, mixed meats and pickles, crab fritters with aoili and a tomato and mozzarella bruschetta. Everything was delicious and we polished the lot off! 
Grand Antipasto starter at Boboli restaurant
Following the starter, we moved inside due to flies buzzing around us. Inside was quite a mix of decoration – the front dining room (below) was gorgeous with low wooden beams and exposed brick. We sat on the other side of the restaurant in a less glamorous end. It did feel a little like a cafe with plastic leaflet dispensers on the table and cheap canvas prints on the wall. However, you should judge a restaurant first and foremost on their food so lets not dwell on this for too long.
Inside Boboli Italian restaurant

We really couldn’t decide what we wanted to eat and in the end I went for an odd choice for me – Cannelloni con scamorza e salsa pomodoro. Clearly I made the wrong choice. I appreciate that presentation of cannelloni / lasagna/ pies can be tricky but my dish looked as though it had come from the local 2 for £10 pub and actually cost £13.95. The cannelloni was OK but I found the filling (minced pork, beef and pancetta) had an odd flavour and I didn’t finish the dish (not a common occurrence). The pasta itself was well made though and the tomato sauce was flavourful if not a little bland. 

Cannelloni con scamorza e salsa pomodoro

For her main, Vicky chose the Orecchiette, broccoletti e gamberetti. It was a better dish than my own but again, she didn’t finish it. The prawns were big and juicy and it was a generous portion but again, there was a finesse missing. The sauce was greasy and the chili was cut in varying sizes from tiny slithers to almost whole bits – blowing your head off! I think for the price (£14.50) tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli would have looked better than small florets of standard broccoli too. 

Orecchiette, broccoletti e gamberetti
Rocket and Parmesan salad at Boboli

To accompany our mains we ordered a rocket and Parmesan salad. It was nice – but then there isn’t too much to go wrong is there? We decided against puddings so we asked for the bill, waited for around 10 mins, asked again, waited another 5 mins then asked someone different. Paid and left. All in all, a mixed bag which started well but fizzled out to a bit of a flat ending. 

Since leaving, I’ve discovered they are part of Great Food Club which just added to my annoyance – I hadn’t thought to check and we could have benefited from a discount on what we felt was an expensive bill – around £55 from memory.  

Have you eaten there? What has your experience been? I’d like to go back as I’ve only ever heard nice things but perhaps next time we’ll stick to pizza? 

0 Comments

  1. I've never been that fussed about Boboli. The Lighthouse however – especially if you go midweek and get the great value set menu – superb!

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