Authentic Italian food with no fuss. We loved The Carpenters Arms.
Nestled in the village of Walesby in Newark, you'll find The Carpenters Arms Italian Kitchen. It's utterly charming - think Roman trattoria, but with classic English pub decor. It took us an hour to get to Walesby from Beeston, and boy, was it worth it.
This is world-class Italian food, but without the fuss. No silly garnishes, just good, honest, authentic meals made by someone who cares about the ingredients, and the people he is serving.
We were delighted with a tasting menu for the afternoon, and each dish presented came with endearing stories from Rome, or details of the homegrown vegetables. We sampled the homemade ricotta and gorgonzola - creamy and salty - accompanied by homemade bresaola with bread that took three days to make!
We had various pastas such as raviolis stuffed with lobster, pumpkin, ricotta and duck egg yolk, as well as rigatoni in a mouth-watering braised beef and red wine sauce (my favourite). When we think we're done, more plates are brought out. We had lamb shoulder, crispy pork belly, smoked cod in risotto, and the star of the show - the braised ox cheek with crispy potatoes. The meat practically melts as you pull it apart. It was so good I wanted to cry, and I even said as much.
We had to ask the owner, John, to stop feeding us, so he skipped a plate and brought out dessert: tiramisu made with Lavazza coffee, and the lightest almond cake served with cream and homemade jam - I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.
I am so excited to add this Italian to my top three in Notts. If you do anything this new year, please make a booking. You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't.
facebook.com/carpentersarmsitalian
Boughton Road, Walesby, Newark, NG22 9NJ
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