Located in Brentwood, around 30 minutes by car from Hollywood, you will find Toscana. Toscana has two entrances - one for the bar, and one for the restaurant, which are in fact two self-contained venues situated next door to one another.
Upon arrival, we opted to begin our evening with a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar area, which housed a lovely crowd and a cool, buzzy atmosphere. The resident mixologist at Toscana was actually brought in from Venice, and it became immediately obvious to us why, as the passion he clearly holds was evident from the moment we sipped out first cocktail.
Firstly, we sampled a Brentwood’s Garden, which sees fennel infused vodka blended with fresh lime and cucumber juice, celery bitters and artichoke liqueur, served with tomato powder on the rim. It is an innovative blend that works exceptionally well.
“if you like good Italian food in a fun atmosphere, make sure Toscana is on your list.”
Up next, we chose the Costa Smeralda - moscato grapes, fresh sage, and citron vodka and st germain, finished with fresh lemon juice. And finally, we chose the Toscarita - a blend of tequila, orancello liqueur, fresh lime juice and grand mariner blood orange foam, finished with Sicilian orange dry peel sea salt.
Alongside our cocktails, we enjoyed prosciutto with melon, mint, and vanilla infused vinaigrette.
After our cocktails and nibbles, we moved through to the restaurant to begin our meal. To start, we chose the mushroom insalate, which consisted of chanterelle mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and goat’s cheese; and the pasta daily special, which was spaghetti with lobster and shrimp, as well as cherry tomatoes and spinach. The flavours were truly sensational.
For our main courses, we both chose the filet mignon with artichoke hearts and spinach, which was perfectly prepared and artichoke was certainly a welcomed accompaniment.
We paired our wine with our courses, opting for a Franciacorta Ferhettina Brut with the mushroom salad; a Pinot Grigio Caposaldo, Veneto, 2011 with the pasta; and a Sangiovese II Volano, Tuescany, 2010, with the meat.
Our evening was wonderful, and if you like good Italian food in a fun atmosphere, make sure Toscana is on your list.
The Bill: £72 per head
