LA TAVERNA (CLIFFORD ESTATES)

A whole row of new restos appeared in our village and they are like just walking distance from our house.  Being a family that seems to be greatly fascinated by food, we have resolved to try out each and everyone of them.  La Taverna is the first of them that we tried out and boy, aren't we delighted by this Italian pizzeria and ristorante.

I have been eyeing it for quite a while because of the elegant facade and cool interiors.  The front door is reminiscent of a Gatsby ambiance; a mixture of Italian and art deco lines.  These lines are further carried out into the dining room as brick wall accents and shelves' design.  The interior is decorated in rich warm hues with rough brick cladding for walls thereby exuding a more Italian feel.

The Gatsby inspired entrance

chandeliers and brick walls

comfy couch

the fireplace

The food that we have ordered are also great.  We have actually ordered a lot for ourselves causing us to take home most of it.  The cuisine is actually fusion; not just an Italian menu.  They do have signature Italian dishes like pastas and pizzas but they also have steaks and even fried rice and the likes.

I started out with a Caesar's salad and I must say that their salad is sumptous and appetising. I am not a big fan of Caesar's salad but I am really fond of this one.   The cheese and bacons bits gave it that zesty taste that makes you crave for more.

Casesar's salad

I also had a bit of their tenderloin steak.  I like my steak medium rare and I must say that they cooked it the way I wanted it.  I am not a big fan of their sauce though because it seems like it is the same as all the other black pepper sauce I had here in China.

tenderloin steak

I also had the chef recommended pasta with salted prawns.  The pasta tasted delicious.  The noodles were done al dente which is quite rare to find here in Mainland.  As for the prawns, I was a little disappointed because I don't really like it when the shells of the prawns stick to the prawn meat.  It was so hard to get them out and could have been plated better.

pasta with salted prawn

My husband had the fettuccine with lamb in red wine and his verdict was simply delectable!  Coming from someone who knows his pasta well and cooks them deliciously too, this comment is one of a kind.  You see, it is quite difficult to find a nice pasta place here; a lot of times the noodles end up soggy and the sauce is usually bland.  According to him, this one is just right so if you will be heading to this rest, order this pasta pronto!

fettuccine with lamb

Mini-me,on the other hand, had the beef lasagna  and mozzarella sticks which she really loves.  She is a cheese person like me.  We also had pizza but we took most of the pizza home because our stomachs were so already so full.

All in all, La Taverna fed us well and I am pretty sure we will still be coming back for more in the months to come.

price range: AROUND 450 RMB (AROUND 70 USD) for all the food here

beef lasagna

prosciutto pizza

mozzarella sticks

passion fruit green tea