2 Amici in Rochester Row
For many years it was Very Simply Nico in Rochester Row, created by chef Nico Ladenis, and served highly-rated food, but too rich for my tastes. Recently it has changed into a mid-market Italian restaurant called 2 Amici, and serves an extensive and quite imaginative menu. For example, my fellow diner and I both started off with aubergine dishes, each very different. He had marinated grilled aubergines with courgettes, peppers, radicchio and tomatoes. I went for the grilled aubergine with a tomato and basil sauce topped by parmesan and mozzarella cheese. We rated both of these dishes very good.
I went on to grilled tuna, served with marinated chopped tomatoes, black olives, red onions, basil, oregano and capers. I didn’t order vegetables with it, which I just as well since it was so filling. The tuna was quite rare, as asked for, and easily held its own against the strong tastes that accompanied it. The other main course ordered was rabbit, cooked in garlic, rosemary, black olives and white wine sauce, and topped with chopped tomatoes. It, too received high marks.
It was a nice touch to welcome us with complimentary glasses of sparkling prosecco, and we went on to try a wine neither of us had encountered before. It was Carta d’Ora, a Sicilian white made entirely from catarratto grapes, and with 12 percent alcohol. It was dry and quite fragrant with hints of grapefruit and apricot, just right for the food.