Authentic Italian was just the job
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
We’d passed this place a few times and, seeing two signs outside, had not been entirely sure whether it was a pub, a restaurant or a chain.
Not familiar with the Tavistock Italia brand, we decided to check it out one midweek evening – taking advantage of its free parking spaces at the front – and went in to find a bar, a couple of people seated at a table and an extra little private dining area tucked away on the side. All rather small – or so we thought.
An unusual layout means a short corridor, which we thought only led to the toilets, took us around a corner into a proper restaurant, with a mix of seating and stylishly decorated with images of stars from Hollywood’s golden era.
At the end is a far lighter conservatory area, which on the night was full of diners enjoying the hot summer evening, and which opens into a pub garden.
It was a real surprise and, once led to a cosy corner table, the next surprise was in finding such an authentic Italian experience. As we scanned the wideranging menu, Italian radio played in the background, giving way to a mix of classic pop during the evening and maintaining the ambience of the restaurant, which was filled with a mix of customers, from occasional diners eating alone to chatty groups.
Staff were hugely helpful too, as my guest, having left his reading glasses in the car, struggled with the menu. A few words between the waitresses in Italian soon produced a pair of specs for him to borrow during the meal.
WHAT WE HAD FOR STARTERS
Having ordered a glass of house red – which turned out to be good enough to warrant a second glass – and an ice cold Moretti between us, we then got the measure of the food from first sight of our starters, which were so nicely presented.
They might have shared a similar look with their flourish of rocket and balsamic drizzle but each dish was a great choice in its own right,
My £6.95 goat’s cheese dish, caprino, had layers of sweetness in roasted red peppers and saltiness from olives plus touches of tomato and pesto which cut through the richness of the cheese.
And my guest loved his bruschetta, which had real flavour in its vine tomatoes, with the addition of red onions, basil and parmesan shavings atop grilled tomato bread – at just £3.95, it was a bargain.
HOW WAS THE MAIN COURSE?
I’d deliberated for ages over what to have – and that was without realising there was a further selection on the back of the menu which I discovered only when we asked to see the menu
again later for dessert. Finally, I settled on tagliatelli alla contadina (£9.50) – described as strips of fillet steak, cooked in a rich wild mushroom and red wine sauce – it turned out to be my most enjoyable meal in a long time.
I’m really picky about meat and, irritatingly, can detect the finest slither of fat, but there was none of that here – and there were plentiful pieces of steak whose flavour, combined with the earthy taste of mushrooms and creaminess of the sauce, was delicious.
It was such a huge portion that I seemed to be eating for ages without making any headway. But I still wanted to eat it all.
Across the table, my guest was equally full of praise for his huge quattro formaggi pizza (£8.50) which arrived with an authentically rustic look – and a rather haphazard shape – topped with generous layers of gorgonzola, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan.
AND DESSERTS?
We were a little bit embarrassed to order desserts, given that we had eaten absolutely everything on our plates up to this point. But we were in the mood to indulge and this seemed a place to do it so we brazened it out. The torta ricotta and pere (£4.50), an Italian pearflavoured cheesecake made with fresh ricotta, caught my eye and, while I was grateful for its lightness, the delicate flavour of the pear – and there were pieces of real fruit within the cheesecake mix – was lost after the robust tastes of everything that had gone before.
My guest’s fail-safe choice of traditional tiramisu (also £4.50), with its bold coffee flavours within the layers of mascarpone and dusting of cocoa was better able to hold its own.
Again, we finished it all, including the shots of complimentary limoncello which came to accompany our bill and, being the last lingering customers, could only be grateful that nobody was there to point as we finally left.
OVERALL
This is a great find, with superior food, friendly staff and prompt service.
Our total bill, which included £10 on two large glasses of house red and £4.50 for a pint of Moretti, came to £52.40 and, now that we’ve discovered it, we’d go back here at the drop of a hat to try more of the menu; although next time we’ll be more restrained.