Di Vino

Mandy

Excellent lunch time venue for family meal. Excellent portions, good value and friendly atmosphere.

The girls and I visited the new incarnation of Bellinis a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night. Divino, as it is now called, is a welcome upgrade to this tired Italian eatery. From the moment that we walked through the doors we were entranced by the new decor. The lighting is eclectic and holds your interest, whilst setting an intimate scene at each table, the ostrich leather chairs and purple suede shout luxury and opulence, whilst the myriad of black and white photographs lend a familiar and chic edge. We were seated next to another table of five or six and, before long, we were aware that the gentleman hosting this little shindig was the proud and vocal owner of the establishment. Unfortunately for us, he ran the restaurant with an iron fist and the waiters were left to lavish attention at his feet, whilst effectively ignoring the other 20-30 diners. The gentleman became louder and more demonstrative throughout the duration of what was fast becoming a very disappointing evening. At one point his language was so bad that we asked the waiter to move us to another table. We were informed that the owner was very sorry and before we could say anything else, the owner was introducing himself and insisting that we "Beaoootifull Ladies" joined him for a drink on the house. Classic Mafioso gesticulations and feigned surprise when we declined confirmed to us the nature of the man and that we had made the right decision. Orders eventually placed, the food was soon at our table. Of the dishes ordered, few were more than adequate, with those reliant upon the chef's tomato sauce as a base, quite disappointing. The tomato sauce tasted pre-prepared and almost like a supermarket home brand pasta or pizza topping. One lady's fish dish was dry and overcooked, whilst the two pizzas were more than acceptable, with a lovely light base. Unfortunately, the pizzas seemed to share the same tomato sauce as did the rest of the food and gave us the impression that this is not freshly prepared food. However, the tomato sauce was perfect on the pizzas, if not on the other pasta dishes we had ordered. When we eventually got our "homemade" deserts the loud owner was creating more noise at the next table and it seemed to be the beginning of an argument over the services one of the other diners had supplied him. The language, once again, became very choice with the squat gentleman gesticulating wildly and talking even more like a Mafioso Don than Al Pacino. Shame really, because it just went to reinforce our feelings that the deserts were about as authentically "homemade" as the owner’s accent was Italian. He certainly wasn't Italian! As the argument grew, we declined offers of coffees and decided to leave the next table to it, going home earlier than I have in some time. The bill was a pleasant surprise; our entire meal for six had cost us little more than a fast-food joint. However, upon reflection, none of us had coffees or liqueurs and we had skipped other treats that we would have normally indulged in, had we not been put-off by bravado, bluff and swearing. All in all, we had a very disappointing night and are unlikely to be returning. I can only hope and guess that the staff are far more attentive and charming when the owner is not around and that they are left to do the jobs efficiently, rather than having to deal with complaints of bad language and lack of service.

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Di Vino

General Enquiry

Restaurants Nearby

Thai Edge Restaurant

Mistal Kitchen

Fuji Hiro