Food Review: Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth - Afternoon Tea

Following a lovely meal at Marcos Kenilworth with the blogging gals, I was given the opportunity to come back to this gorgeous town and instead try out the afternoon tea menu.

Launched at the beginning of July, the afternoon tea is a recent addition to the lunch and dinner service offered at Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth. 

Sam, the Restaurant Manager, greeted us and made us welcome in the restaurant and offered us a cup of tea to start with. Impressively, we were offered a tea menu with no less than nine teas to choose from. From black teas to herbal teas and green tea, we sniffed out teas from around the world before coming to our decision. I opted for English Breakfast, being the traditionalist that I am, although I would have liked to have tried the Champagne Sencha and Vanilla Roobis; alas I needed the caffeine! The Champagne Sencha smelt exactly like Champagne despite being alcohol free and the Vanilla Roobis had a lovely rich, sweet scent. All of the teas are sourced from a local supplier in Wootten Wawen and were picked out by the team at Marco's Kenilworth which adds an authenticity to the offer.

Without further ado, we were presented with a three tiered stand full to the brim with cakes, scones and sandwiches. Of course, my selection was slightly different to everyone else's as it was Gluten Free, so here goes. The three types of sandwiches were cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese and ham and dijon mustard. I had two half sandwiches of each which makes a mammoth three sandwiches in total. The smoked salmon was my favourite as the salmon quality was so good and there was a good thick layer of cream cheese with it too. This was served on white bread.

Onto the next layer, the scone layer. This was my favourite layer of all! Sandwiches are lovely, and I actually don't eat sandwiches too often as I find them a bit much for everyday and try to eat rice and salad at lunch. Desserts are always fun but at the end of the day, there are so few places to get a really lovely Gluten Free scones.

Afternoon Tea

Gluten Free Afternoon Tea

My scones was fruity and served with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam. The best part of the scone was not just the taste but the texture too. At one bite I could tell these scones were different. The secret? The scones are finished off in a pizza oven which makes them so crispy on the outside! Helen had a plain scone whilst mine was a sultana scone.

Finally, the dessert layer. We were both treated to a mini version of a dessert from the A La Carte menu, the Vanilla Panna Cotta. With a sweet vanilla cream and tart fruity raspberry top, this was a delightful, not too sweet dessert. I was also treated to something else from the A La Carte menu, the Melting Chocolate Truffle Cake. If you read my previous post on Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth, you will have seen that I raved about this dessert. Gluten free desserts shouldn't have to be a compromise and here, they haven't sacrificed a thing to create this mountain of soft truffled chocolate. 

The Afternoon Tea menu is available to view here and starts at a very reasonable £15.95. You could always add prosecco or champagne for a special occasion for £20 and £25 respectively. Booking is advised but not required and I would definitely recommend booking if you are Gluten Free.

Thank you to the team at Marco's Kenilworth for looking after us!

There is also an extra bonus to this post, an outfit photo courtesy of Helen from Positive Fridays. I finally jumped on the sleevless jacket bandwagon, what do you think!? Shall I get a few more?

I was invited to dine at Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth as a guest of the restaurant in exchange for an honest review.

 

Food Review: Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth

Marco Pierre White is one of the biggest names in gastronomy and following an illustrious career in the kitchen, famously handed back his Michelin stars and turned his attention to business.

Following the opening of Marco's New York Italian in Stratford Upon Avon, the newest venue to open it's doors is Marco's New York Italian in Kenilworth.

I was lucky enough to be invited to dine at the restaurant just over a week ago and was excited to see the restaurant and also to visit Kenilworth for the first time.

Not far from Leamington Spa and out in the leafy countryside, Marco's New York Italian is inside the Holiday Inn Kenilworth. With an on site car park it was easy to find and reach and is right in the centre of town. Famous for that stripy chair, the restaurant featured all the usual Marcos touches such as an impressive wine rack and images of the man himself.

The restaurant itself was comfortable and roomy and perfect for groups, couples and families.

After an introduction from the restaurant manager, we sat down to some very glamorous drinks (I had a non alcoholic cocktail on this occasion) and took a look at the menu over a sharing basket of bread and olives (none for me sadly).

Having already dined at Marco's Stratford, I decided that I wanted to try something different to what I had last time. I was able to see an allergens menu first and was very impressed with how clear and easy to use this was. Despite being tempted by the sharing platters, I went for the Baked Field Mushrooms with spinach and blue cheese and a 10oz Rib Eye Steak for mains.

I'm so glad I chose the mushrooms to start as they were divine; thick meaty mushrooms with salty smattering of blue cheese melted just enough on top.

Next, my steak arrived customised to my liking. In an attempt to be good I ordered new potatoes instead of lazy fries and they were just as good as chips I swear! My steak was decent and the garlic tomato was a nice touch as it's always good to eat your vegetables.

Finally, I chose the most amazing dessert, a Melting Chocolate Truffle Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. I'm sure everyone who saw this cake had some serious food envy because it was divine. Not only was the presentation perfect, but the cake itself was a warm, gooey, melting pot of chocolate goodness. More please!

I had a great time at Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth and think it would make a great place for lunch or dinner in the village. I'd love to go back and explore the castle and I would definitely drop in for coffee and a cake at tea time or dinner in the evening for a special occasion.

*I was invited to dine as a guest of Marco's New York Italian Kenilworth

Food Review: Marco's New York Italian - Stratford Upon Avon

Aren't I good to you ladies and gentlemen? With Valentine's Day just around the corner it seems only fitting that food takes centre stage. Hopefully, my posts will give you a few ideas for where to go in the run up to the big day.

When I received the invitation to dine at Marco's New York Italian, I literally scrapped my plans and made sure I could make it to the picturesque town of Stratford Upon Avon.

Stratford is of course, Shakespeare's birthplace, but today it is a beautiful destination for tourists from abroad and the UK. With plenty of theatres, restaurants, shops and bars to choose from, I love heading over for a little break from the city and taking a walk by the river.

Stratford is also home to Marco's New York Italian. Inspired by Marco's Italian heritage and love of American food, the restaurant serves up everything from steak and shrimp to pizza and hotdogs.

Housed in a Tudor building, the restaurant interior is simply stunning. Complete with wood floors, wood panelling, leather padded bars and quirky touches such as Marco's chefs whites and signature black and white armchair, the restaurant is full of suprises.

Onto the food. The menu is varied and split into antipasti (appetizers), primi (starters), insalate (salds that can ordered as both starters and mains), pasta, risotto, pizza, carne (meat) and pesce (fish) as well as contorni (sides) and desserts, with a good selection of wines too.

A rare treat for a Tuesday night, we started off with the mixed olives and a glass of prosecco (a reasonable £5.25) to set the tone. After what felt like hours deliberating over the menu, I eventually settled on the Garlic and Lemon Prawns on Toasted Rustic Bread and 10oz Rib Eye Steak with Rocket, Parmesan Cheese and Vintage Balsamic. Just because I couldn't decide, myself and the beautiful Georgie from Cotswold Create shared the Steak and Sea Bass, Simply Grilled with Lemon and New Potatoes.

The olives were incredibly moreish, and some of the best I've ever eaten in a restaurant. By the time the prawns arrived on gluten free bread (bonus points) I was very ready to eat as I'd managed to get soaked on the way to the restaurant.

Good sized and plentiful, the prawns were simply delicious; simply cooked but flavourful and finished off with the lemon, these were tasty and filling. The gluten free white bread was also fantastic, lovely thick slices with a good glutinous texture, and again, one of the best I've ever tried.

Next up was our sharing course of steak and sea bass. I started off with the steak and this was juicy and soft, and again, simply flavoured but good. The chef had very artfully managed to cater to our (joking) request and cooked half medium rare and half rare! The chips were beautiful and the tomato brilliantly flavoured with garlic. I also tried the sea bass and again, this was simply cooked but lovely and definitely a great healthy option.

Naughtily, I said yes to dessert and chose the usually gluten free friendly option of Panna Cotta. This came out in a huge whisky glass and was full of creamy white panna cotta, topped off with a delicious berry compote. Full of real vanilla, this was a very naughty treat!

During the evening we were able to chat to James Curran, the general manager and had a few insights into the food and venue. When asked about the ethos of Marco's New York Italian, he said: "Affordable luxury and good food cooked well". This was certainly clear to see from the food on offer. Much of the food is locally sourced with the meat coming from Barry the Butcher across the road. The style of food was simple but in order to allow the quality of the food to shine through.

The restaurant is a great place to come and eat or drink for any occasion. Whether it's a quick pre-theatre menu or lavish ladies lunch, there is plenty of choice and they were fantastic at catering to my gluten free diet.

This would be a lovely cosy restaurant for a Valentine's Day meal too, and any lady would be glad to be taken here for an evening meal after a walk around Stratford, if they're not fully booked already!

Overall, Marco's does offer affordable luxury and a good choice of food and drink in a beautiful, atmospheric Tudor building. Thank you to the team at Marco's for having me!

For bookings and more information on Marco's New York Italian Stratford, click here. To see the food menu click here the dessert menu click here and the drink and snack menu (including cocktails!) click here.

Marco's New York Italian - 17-19 Chapel Street, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 6ER.

*I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant. All views are my own.