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food & drink
Raising the bar
Words Natalie Carman
the cosmopolitan life to Tunbridge Wells. With trendy exposed brickwork and low red lighting illuminating an extensive cocktail bar, this spot delivers a stylish dining experience that fuses a sophisticated city feel with its modern take on Spanish cuisine. Tapas is a sociable eating culture which shuns the single square meal for smaller shared dishes, and Soprano’s extensive menu is perfect if you like to mix it up with different fl avours or experiment with new tastes. But there’s no need to be a connoisseur – the staff are more than happy to help you order the right amount and recommend dishes, many of which are vegetarian and gluten-free too.
W
hile nestled away in the peaceful and historic High Street, Soprano Tapas and Wine Bar brings a slice of
Review
After being seated in a cosy booth, we opted for the Seleccion Soprano to start. This generous shared appetiser serves up a little of everything, with hot and cold mingling together and sweet and sharp fl avours all catered for in light bites of bread, ham, octopus and anchovies, alongside dates, artichokes, stuffed tomatoes and nuts. A classic Mojito from the bar’s impressive cocktail list was a winning fl ourish but a tough choice over rivals such as the Bloody Mary, Mango Margarita and Mint Julep.
As we moved on to our main dishes the
restaurant’s regular Thursday night live music began. Effortlessly talented violinist Dalma Gebe performed contemporary Spanish strings along to the bar’s background music. Taking in the atmosphere, we savoured spiced lamb skewers, croquettes fi lled with ham and melted cheese, and a mixed plate of tiger prawns, whitebait and squid rings – all richly fl avoured. We ended the night on a high with Churros – heavenly sugared pastry bites dipped in hot chocolate sauce. • Soprano Tapas and Wine Bar, 56 High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XF, call 01892 535842, email
tw@sopranowinebar.co.uk
Kentish wines at their best Are you tempted to answer a dating advert for Valentine’s Day? Readers, beware. I answered an advert. Little did I know that I would marry that man and toil, in all seasons, producing stunning English wine.
Seven years later (no itching!), together we’ve set
up Westwell Wines, located beneath the Pilgrims Way in Charing, Kent, producing premium still, sparkling and dessert wine.
CHOCS AWAY!
Vegan, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, diabetic, vegetarian, sports performance fan – did you know that one in three British households today have specifi c dietary requirements? With this in mind, Hotel Chocolat wants to make sure top-quality cocoa and chocolate can stay part of your healthy lifestyle, offering the right products for you and your household, all made with authentic ingredients, more cocoa and less sugar.
No matter what your dietary needs, Hotel Chocolat, working with dietician and nutritionist Dalia Maori, can help you choose the right chocolate for your dietary requirements and lifestyle choice. Look out in-store or online for their ranges of dairy-free and vegan, low sugar, low carb and diabetic chocolate. • Available in branches of Hotel Chocolat including Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Bromley and Bluewater or online at
www.hotelchocolat.com
The INDEX magazine
www.indexmagazine.co.uk
Elegant, classy, stunning – the award-winning wines speak for themselves. Behind each bottle lies
a story of hard work, commitment and passion for a bespoke Kentish product. Why not celebrate
Valentine’s Day in true Kentish style this year? Buy a bottle of our wine from The Secret Cellar in Tunbridge Wells (call 01892 537981) or via our website at www.
westwellwines.co.uk
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