Review of 'vivido'

Recently we were in Harrogate to attend a conference at the Harrogate International Centre with a couple of hours to have something to eat. Just a short distance away is Cheltenham Crescent which obviously caters to the conference crowd with a number of other places to eat including a Thai restaurant, an Indian restaurant and a Chinese restaurant along with, of course, a pub. The one that caught our eye, mostly because it was modern looking and mentioned a number of awards they have received, was “vivido”.

The restaurant has a number of nooks and crannies but seats quite a number of people in it's minimalist and bright interior. After being warmly welcomed at the door we were shown to a small table in the middle of a room at the far end. The menu is split into “Starters”, “Pasta & Risotto”, “Pizza”, “Main Courses - Meat, Pollo [Chicken] & Fish”, and “Desserts” that all contain a small number of options. We decided to start with the “Bruschetta Al Pomodoro” (£4.95) - toasted bread topped with a fresh tomato-based salad - Delicious and, oddly, crispy toast despite the wet topping. The portion size was reasonable for the two of us to share.

For our mains I was thinking of pasta but eventually decided on a pizza, in this case “Calzone” (£10.95) - A, rather large, literal “pizza pie” with “…ham, mushrooms, 'Nduja sausage and mozzarella, topped with tomato sauce”. Served piping hot, the casing was wonderfully crispy that, when cut into, released a fair amount of liquid but, surprisingly, it maintained it's crunch. The filling was delicious and full of flavour.

My companion had a daily special which was a fried breaded chicken escalope topped with aubergine and cheese with a small dash of tomato sauce on the side (£15.95). It filled the plate but did not have a lot of flavour. “The chicken was very tender, lightly breaded and the aubergine was lightly cooked - not 'mushy'…”

We were in a bit of a hurry and because, frankly, we were very full, we skipped on the dessert. To be honest, I am not a big fan of tiramisu and other Italian deserts (though here cheesecakes, cakes and ice creams were on offer).

At £43.25 including a service charge of £3.90 added to the bill, it was quite a good deal. The staff were very helpful and despite being obviously very busy they very quickly settled our bill when we told them we were in a hurry. The owner, in particular, was very friendly to us.

Good, basic Italian cooking served simply but with fresh ingredients in a friendly, if slightly noisy, environment at a reasonable price.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-10-29

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 16 Cheltenham Crescent, Harrogate HG1 1DH ENGLAND

Location: Harrogate (England)

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 1423 566 453

URL: http://www.vividorestaurant.co.uk/