Enjoy – Gusto Italiano

Now that I’m back in a better habit of wandering round the town, with another 100km walk in my sights for later in the year, I’m picking up a few more of the recent comings and goings, which seem to be just about in equal measure. One new arrival is Enjoy – Gusto Italiano, on the main drag heading up towards Newington.

A sort of cross between Gino’s Kitchen and Polentoni, this smart little Italian café has been open for just over a month. It serves a nice array of freshly made Italian dishes, with pizza and pasta to the fore.

Their chalkboard described their tomato soup as “amazing”, so I couldn’t resist putting that claim to the test. I added a medium-sized portion of their tomato and aubergine pasta.

I sat at a wobbly high table that was quirkily designed with a big bite out of it. It gave me a good view of the display cabinets which showed of the full range of their dishes in a very eye-catching way.

The soup soon arrived and looked mightily thick. It was essentially a tomato stew, but was extremely tasty nevertheless. It spoke of long and slow cooking and certainly lived up to its “amazing” epithet; it was quite the best tomato soup I’ve been served in the city.

The main course pasta was similarly rustic yet accomplished. The penne pasta was cooked firmly al dente, with the sauce packed with flavour. It was a generous lunchtime portion.

So overall, I was really impressed with Enjoy. Both courses were deliciously filling and showed off excellent homestyle Italian cooking. The place is full of charm and the service is very warm. I’d be happy to visit again and would recommend that you do so, soon.

Scores
Blythe scores Enjoy
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 15.5/20

I ate: tomato soup; penne norma

I drank: espresso

I wore: Gherkin tie

Total bill: £9.30