Il Vesuvio

On Sunday evening I dined at Il Vesuvio in Camden Road,
Tunbridge Wells. This Neapolitan restaurant had been recommended by several
friends. We received a warm welcome from the owner and I was surprised how busy
the restaurant was with families and couples enjoying celebratory and usual
meals on a Sunday evening. Service was friendly and prompt throughout and we received
complimentary herb breadsticks whilst waiting for our starters. I found the menu to be comprehensive with lots of dishes you
wouldn’t’ find at the chain restaurants. I started with seafood pancake which
was recommended to me by the owner (after I had narroed down the choice to two dishes) who explained it was on the menu as it was
her favourite. The pancake was hot and delicious and a must if you enjoy
seafood. My companion who had dined here several times before, chose a starter they had not had before bruschetta with
mushroom cream which they enjoyed. My main course was minced beef meatballs
with roast potatoes rather than spaghetti. The roast potatoes were small and
all deliciously crispy just how I like them. The meatballs were filling and
nice too. I wasn’t offered any parmesan cheese which was disappointing but I could
have asked for this when they asked whether everything was okay (being an
English Gentleman, of course I just said it was!). My companion enjoyed the steak
which was cooked just how he asked. For dessert I chose from the special menu a homemade strawberry
sponge cake topped with fresh strawberries, cream and chopped nuts. This was a delicious
and refreshing end to my meal. My companion choose Chocolate Pannacotta which was
nice. We were offered complimentary Limoncello after our meal
which is always a nice touch. The owner took time to ask whether we had joined the
restaurants Facebook page where there are currently over 700 fans! The family
have also recently opened a restaurant in Maidstone too, which I think goes to
prove the success of their business. I really enjoyed my dining experience here
and will be taking friends and family here in the future to experience the
tasty home cooked food and friendly hospitality.