Review: Tavola in Leamington is a charming new Italian restaurant which serves good food and drinks
They say that Rome was not built in a day but Tavola is already laying down solid foundations in Leamington.
Word of mouth has obviously already started to spread about the new Italian restaurant since it opened at the former site of Bar 44 on Clarendon Street in May as when my partner and I went for a meal there last Saturday the place was busy with larger groups occupying most of the tables.
I noticed the light and pretty décor, inspired by the eateries in Rome and northern Italy – much care and attention has obviously been put into the refurbishment carried out at the venue recently.
First, we were treated to a bellini and negroni from the apertivo section of the menu, which stimulated our appetites.
It was after that when our waiter told us that the restaurant was experiencing issues behind the scenes as it - and other businesses in that part of the town - had suffered a temporary power cut which had knocked the process in the kitchen off-kilter.
This meant that waiting times for our food and drinks were slightly longer than normal.
Despite this, the staff at Tavola persevered where other restaurants nearby were, apparently, having to either send customers away or even close early for the evening and we were served a nice meal.
For our antipasti, I had the chicken parmigiana which was crispy and tender and served with a rich tomato dipping sauce.
My partner was delighted with the fried calamari delicately intertwined with strips of courgette – she was impressed by how flavoursome this was.
For our mains I had the pollo milanese – a huge butterflied chicken breast which was herby and succulent.
My partner had the branzino pan fried sea bass – a lovely piece of fish well complemented by the tomato, oliver and caper sauce it was served with.
It could probably have done with coming with a small portion of roasted vegetables to give the dish more balance and variety.
I finished my meal with a charming espresso martini which was fitting for the experience we’d had thanks to the staff at Tavola, who showed that - despite an unavoidable setback on the night – they could really step up in the face of adversity.