112 Camden Road
Tunbridge Wells TN1 2QX Map
http://www.ilvesuvio.co.uk/
We were at a loose end in Tunbridge Wells one lunchtime when I remembered a review of Il Vesuvio on the Eating Out in Tunbridge Wells website.
We arrived just as it opened and were given a warm welcome and seated in the window. The restaurant itself is really airy and is decorated in a style to make you think you've just stepped off of a Neapolitan street, with murals of Vesuvious overlooking the bay and other Italianate features adorning the walls.
We weren't overly hungry and decided to share a plate of Grigliata Di Vegetali Con Pinzimonio which was a plate of grilled vegetables consisting of courgettes, aubergines and peppers marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. While we were waiting, the restaurant became very smoky, so I guess it's safe to say that they were freshly grilled!
We ordered some bread to accompany the vegetable and they were really good, and the last of the bread was used to mop up the juices, which is always a good sign.
We honeymooned in Sorrento, and I have fond memories of sitting at a cafe eating gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozarella, so I decided to see what I Vesuvio's Gnocchi Sorrento was like. It was extremely hot! However, I was warned and after I let it cool down, it was very tasty. The sauce was good and "tomatoey" and the cheese very stringy. The gnocchi itself was firm and not too heavy. My wife had a spaghetti bolognaise and she said that the pasta was slightly undercooked, but not enough to spoil it.
Tunbridge Wells TN1 2QX Map
http://www.ilvesuvio.co.uk/
We were at a loose end in Tunbridge Wells one lunchtime when I remembered a review of Il Vesuvio on the Eating Out in Tunbridge Wells website.
We arrived just as it opened and were given a warm welcome and seated in the window. The restaurant itself is really airy and is decorated in a style to make you think you've just stepped off of a Neapolitan street, with murals of Vesuvious overlooking the bay and other Italianate features adorning the walls.
We weren't overly hungry and decided to share a plate of Grigliata Di Vegetali Con Pinzimonio which was a plate of grilled vegetables consisting of courgettes, aubergines and peppers marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. While we were waiting, the restaurant became very smoky, so I guess it's safe to say that they were freshly grilled!
We ordered some bread to accompany the vegetable and they were really good, and the last of the bread was used to mop up the juices, which is always a good sign.
We honeymooned in Sorrento, and I have fond memories of sitting at a cafe eating gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozarella, so I decided to see what I Vesuvio's Gnocchi Sorrento was like. It was extremely hot! However, I was warned and after I let it cool down, it was very tasty. The sauce was good and "tomatoey" and the cheese very stringy. The gnocchi itself was firm and not too heavy. My wife had a spaghetti bolognaise and she said that the pasta was slightly undercooked, but not enough to spoil it.
We both enjoyed our meals and the price was pretty good. We were the only ones in there for the most part, although another table came in as we were finishing so I can't comment on the atmosphere. The service was great and the people were very friendly and Il Vesuvio is definitely on our list to go back to.
2 comments:
Last night, 27th March 2009, a few of us went out from work to Il Vesuvio and were recommended a bottle of red wine which we assumed would be a reasonably priced bottle of house wine and were horrified when we received the bill showing this bottle of wine to be £65. At no point were we told how much this was going to cost and, yes, we should have asked the price but thought they were decent people, which obviously they are not. We queried this and the waiter was asked by the owner if he had told us the price and he just shrugged and said no, as if it was no big thing. Although they did reduce the price of the wine to £50 we are disappointed with the lack of respect. If only the wine had been that nice!!
That is a cruel and most un true thing to say about the people at Il Vesuvio. I eat there a lot, and have never been un happy with anything.
The Waiters often suggest things to us and we have never been unhappy with their suggestions.
I realise that at time they can be quite passionate about what they do, which is the only thing that distinguishes them from all the other "made from a mould" restaurants around town.
I know that the owner is very proud of his wine collection and I know for a fact that their menus are very accurate.
Best night out, always, and really worth it.
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