This place is right up my street! Not literally you see...it's in Harpenden and we're in Apsley, but you get what I mean. Little sharing plates, Italian cuisine, seasonal produce, changing menu, great cocktails, formally informal, friendly and a banging wine list. YES! This is what Herts needs; more of these please!
Opening just over 4 weeks ago, Vinsanto is the latest eatery by Great British Menu Finalist, and Ramsey and Atherton graduate, chef Daniel Fletcher. It is his second endeavour in his hometown (his first being 8oz Coffee) and combines a stunning ever-changing menu of cicchetti with some absolutely wonderful hand selected European wines. We had to check it out ASAP.
We went along for -only our second- date night sans bébé last week to scope it out for you guys. We went on a Saturday night and parking wasn't too bad. There are a few places on Station Road or there's the station car park or NCP which are both a 5 minute walk away. Upon entry to Vinsanto you're struck by how different it is to so many eateries in the area. The decor is sleek, suave, moody and modern. There's rich velvety colours and brass accents everywhere with some very "Shoreditch" type pieces of art and flouro writing on the wall just letting you know that "you make my heart go Boom Boom"! Its warm, and welcoming and the staff immediately make you feel like you're a regular.
We had a lovely table by the bar so could watch the hustle and bustle of chef Daniel at work. Our waitress talked us through the menu, recommended a PHENOMENAL cocktail (Clover Club) and also was extremely knowledgable in helping us select some wine (a 2019 Bardolino).
They recommend 4-5 dishes between two people. Cicchetti are small plates in Italian Traditionally from Venice (as exemplified by Polpo restaurants dotted around London). Since Polpo's launch in 2009, the London gastronomy scene has radically changed; small plates in all types of cuisine have popped up throughout the UK. The style of "small sharing plates" that come out whenever they are ready, suits independent restaurants who have more experimental menus that change constantly. And the joy of things coming out of the kitchen when ready ensure the diner is constantly grazing, and means that the kitchen can churn things out in their own pace rather than breaking their necks to assemble 12 starters all at once. It's the notion of constant grazing that I do quite enjoy, and the fact that you can try more dishes and share everything with menus like this. It's a wonderfully communal way to eat which i completely adore, so we decided to get stuck in at Vinsanto and ordered 6 dishes: arancini “caccio pepe”, trapizzino (a topped focaccia with beef ragu), a selection of Cobble Lane charcuterie, truffle tagliolini, the special: beef ravioli, and a garden salad.
Our cocktails arrived first. They were quite small for the £12 price tag, but completely delicious and VERY, dangerously drinkable! A Clover Club is a cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and an egg white, and this one was one of the best I've had. Almost as moreish as an amaretto sour and refreshing as a pink lemonade. It did not last long!
The service was prompt for the food, and the dishes arrived looking completely mouthwatering! The arancini come as a portion of 4 balls of creamy, al dente risotto rice with a crisp perfect shell. They were gently accented with flecks of black pepper, with a dominant parmesan flavour. The Cobble Lane charcuterie was sensational as always, with the coppa a personal favourite of mine.
The pastas were both lovely dishes. The beef ravioli were gentle in flavour but the beef was a tender minced meat in a soft, thin pasta cushion. These were generously portioned, and tossed with butter and black pepper for a simple, but tasty dish. The truffle tagliolini was not a heavy hedonistic truffle punch of flavour, but a delicate memory of truffle that dances through a light buttery sauce which clung to fresh strands of tagliolini. It was gentle, bouncy and heavenly- though I wouldn't have said no to a little punch more truffle!
After all the carbs, we were happy for the salad. It was nothing out of this world, but beautifully and delicately dressed, with a zesty, light dressing, tart marinated artichoke hearts and some focaccia croutons.
But yet after all this, we still found a smidge of room for the salted caramel tiramisu. We had to didn't we? Well...it was rather decadent. The marscapone was whipped to perfection with that lingering alcoholic note, and the savoiardi soaked in a hearty coffee. The salted caramel crept through in a layer of Biscoff crumb and a ribbon of caramel in the pot. It was not at all traditional for the puritan in me, but entirely delicious, addictive and gobble-inducing!
We left this meal -after paying the (almost) £100 bill, which is pretty steep, but feeling satisfied and very full. There was also, unashamedly a smugness at having had such a delicious meal at a new find! We are so happy to have this gem so close-by and will undoubtedly be back every time the menu changes.
Service:
Wonderful from start tio finish. So attentive, helpful, knowledgeable and passionate! Good staff are so hard to find in hospitality at the moment, and it seems to be because Vinsanto have nabbed them all!
Quality:
Simple, uncomplicated dishes, executed well. Nothing here was overly innovative, but it was all presented and cooked perfectly, providing comfort and satisfaction.
Value & Price:
The cocktails seemed poor value for money in terms of the size, but that is a minor quibble. Our bill came to around £100, £10 of that was service and £30 was drinks, so it works out around £30pp for food which seems good considering the variety we had and the quality.
Overall:
EXCELLENT- The service and style of this new eatery really set it apart from what else is around the area. This is modern, exciting and delicious. Can't wait to go back!
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