The great taste of Italia

Abi Turley • Published 26 Aug 2010 09:30 0 Comments

DON Beni is celebrating its eighth anniversary in the town and it’s not hard to understand why it has remained so popular.

The Italian charm is hard to resist from the friendly staff to the light- hearted ambience which is so typical of the nation as a whole.

Sampling the light and refreshing rose wines while choosing from the menu I half expected the waiters to burst into song. Sadly that never happened.

This buzzing restaurant offers something for everyone’s pallet from the traditional Italian pizza and pasta dishes to the locally sourced meat options.

Seafood is featured widely across the starter and mains section of the menu, with langoustines, clams, mussels and squid adding a unique touch.

For a starter, my colleague and I shared a garlic bread ‘Fantasia’ which was great value for money at £5.95 - the average price for the starter section - it was full of flavour with grilled vegetables.

Despite being spoilt for choice on the mains, we finally came to a decision.

I opted for the Dover sole a piacere which was fresh, full of flavour and cooked perfectly, accompanied by the side dish of crunchy seasonal vegetables which really complemented one another.

My dining partner chose a more traditional pasta dish, which included king prawns in a positively explosive garlic and chilli tomato based sauce.

For our third course we opted to sharing two desserts, both £4.25; a refreshing lemon sorbet, which was creatively presented with a glass of lemonade - a perfect option to replenish the pallet after the significant flavours from the previous courses - along with the tartufo Nero, a chocolate truffle ice cream in a hazelnut praline shell, also a brilliant choice to finish off the meal.

The restaurant offers a variety of deals from a two-course lunchtime special for £9.95 alongside 10% off its recently launched takeaway menu. The specials board is also changed fortnightly.

A big ‘grazie’ to Gianluca, the manager and Vando Ronaldo, whose service was impeccable. Perhaps they will sing next time!

Where? 37-41 Denmark Street, Wokingham, RG40 2AY.

Telephone: 0118 979 5678.

How much? Starters £3-£7.95, main courses £5.95-£19.95, desserts £4.25.

The average spend for two courses is £13.50.

Opening times: Mondays-Fridays noon-2.30pm and 6-10.30pm, Saturdays and Sundays all day.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 26 Aug 10

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