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Gabrielle Riccio, The Vine’s new pizza chef from Rome |
Pub adds another course to eating out
– simply di-Vine
Always busy but never crowded, the Vine offers a superb à la carte menu and, as Dan Carrier discovers, offers great Italian rustic cooking
THE Vine has a lot going for it – while NW5 has a plethora of good pubs, many are seemingly bent on becoming known for their food instead of ales, sofas, fires and chit-chat ambience.
It has great food and is a comfy place to hang out, and it could be fairly said The Vine was the original and best.
Long before the Bull and Last got taken over and renovated in the summer, The Vine’s super outdoor-indoor eating area – they have a garden covered with a marquee shelter – was the place to eat in Dartmouth Park.
Always busy but never crowded (unlike some other pubs in the area), The Vine also has two superb private dining rooms upstairs. Designed by theatre set maker Christopher Woods, one is in the style of a baroque Paris eaterie, the other done on a Moroccan theme.
You can hire them out for parties.
But the comfortable surroundings are merely an appetiser for the food.
The Vine has always had a good reputation for dining.
I still can close my eyes and feel dreamy thinking of a goats cheese soufflé I once ate there. Its à la carte menu is superb, with starters that include staples such as a capaccio of beef on a bed of rocket with truffle oil and parmesan.
Fish wise there is choice which includes the always popular Cacciucco de Pesce – prawns, mussels, langoustines, baby octopus and chick pea stew.
The other stew which stands out is the Spezzatino d’agnello – slow-cooked lamb with peas, carrots, potatoes and shallots.
But now there is a new twist to the glorious menu on offer.
Owner James Myers believes people want to eat out, despite the trying times, and so decided to bring in pizzas.
He has built a stone-based oven and although the à la carte is still on the board, you can go for a simple pizza as well. Done with the panache you’d expect from an experienced back-room staff, these are not just any pizzas.
“It is Italian rustic cooking,” James says, and the simplicity of the menus mean you get the very best the style has to offer.
The Parma ham, so finely sliced, is perfect, the Salsicia, with Italian sausage, has a wonderful blend of garlic and heat.
Others that stand out include the Pescatore, with fresh mussels and clams finished off with garlic and chilli.
But the simple taste of the margherita shows this pub knows what it’s up to. Why mask the delicious tomato base and fantastic mozzarella when it tastes this good?
Wash it down with a half litre of red Côtes du Rhône straight from a barrel from behind the bar.
Simply di-vine.
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