I REMEMBER going into Frankie and Benny’s at Castlepoint several years ago with my husband and parents for a quiet meal.

We left after just a drink, finding it much too busy and noisy for our liking. However, now with two young children, it’s the perfect place for a family meal.

Despite it being a Saturday, we were seated quickly in our own private booth, giving us plenty of our own space in what was otherwise a full restaurant.

The kids were handed activity packs, complete with a puzzle book, game and rainbow pencil, which was met with much wonderment, which kept them perfectly happy until their meals arrived.

There is a very extensive menu including pizzas, pasta dishes, burgers and ribs, as well as salads and lighter options.

Children can choose from an equally wide range and there is the option of either a kids’ portion, or the slightly larger junior meals.

Our two settled on spaghetti bolognese and penne pasta, while I chose the full rack of barbecue ribs and my husband opted for the chicken and ribs combo.

We also chose a side order of onion rings.

While we waited for the food we were kept entertained by the rock’n’ roll music and the girls loved the endless Happy Birthday songs.

Our meals were quite quick to arrive and were all very generous in size.

The pasta dishes were soon demolished, which tells us they must have been tasty, and my youngest quickly made a start on my ribs.

The meat simply fell of the bone and was smothered in a deliciously tangy barbecue sauce, while the accompanying chips were light and fluffy.

My husband’s ribs were equally tender, while the half roast chicken was cooked well and full of flavour and our onion rings were lovely and crispy.

We had been eyeing up the various sundaes being delivered to nearby tables while we ate, so it was a no brainer when we were offered the dessert menu.

I chose the banoffee sundae, my husband went for the cinnamon waffle crunch and the girls chose a chocolate pancake and strawberry ice cream sundae.

We had to wait a while for our desserts, so those activity packs came in handy.

But when they did arrive, our choices went down well.

The banoffee sundae was just the right size, with its toffee ice cream, large banana chunks, chocolate covered honeycomb and toffee sauce, and the cinnamon waffle, topped with vanilla ice cream, toffee crunch pieces and toffee sauce, both smelt and tasted warming and delicious.

My eldest daughter loved her chocolate pancake, which was topped with brownies and cream ice cream, chocolate covered honeycomb pieces and chocolate sauce. Her sister was delighted to find her sundae was topped with Cadbury chocolate buttons.

It’s certainly not the place for a quiet, romantic meal, but ideal for a fun, family dinner. Frankie and Benny’s offers good food, at reasonable prices, friendly staff and a lively atmosphere.

n We have been asked to point out that in last week’s Mystery Diner review of Tiien Thai restaurant in Broadstone, the cheapest wine is actually £13.95 and not £20.95 as quoted, and that the two starters, aromatic duck £14.95 and chicken in ginger £9.95, are for two people each. For more information visit, thai restaurantbroadstone. co.uk