What we thought

The new opening of a restaurant in Ashtead caused a lot of excitement at the Ashtead Living office, so we gamely went off to try it, to see what it was like. 

The small, but perfectly formed restaurant has been attractively decorated and its hostess welcomed us warmly. She happily sat us at the window bar, as no tables were currently free. After perusing the wine list, we chose a delicious Albarino whilst we set about picking what we had to eat. 

For those heading to Aldo’s Kitchen for an extensive menu, look away now. 

The short menu is diminutive in size as the restaurant itself. We wager it’s all the better for it too. We see it too many times - a restaurant trying to offer too much to too many. The places that shine are the restaurants, like Aldo’s Kitchen, who whittle down their menu to a select few options. It means they can make the most of each and every dish - spending more time in prep on the ingredients they will actually need to put their plates together. 

At Aldo’s Kitchen, there’s a Peruvian theme throughout with dishes such as stone bass ceviche to start, snacks like toasted speed corn to take the edge of your hunger, and ribeye steak with a chimichurri sauce. To be a truly comprehensive review, we tried as much as our bellies allowed. And, in short, it was all absolutely delicious. The seared tuna tataki was a real highlight for us, as was the confit pork belly with its moreish sweet potato, lime mash. 

Sadly, we couldn’t manage a dessert, but if we could, we would have tried the coconut panna cotta. 

Ultimately, though, a restaurant is not just about its food. It’s about the overall experience too. To have a good time, customers are reliant on good service - which abounded at Aldo’s. The maitre'd, who welcomed us so warmly, struck that difficult balance of attentive enough that we were never left wanting for something, without being so persistent that our conversations were perpetually interrupted. At the end of the meal, the chef came out to say hello, which was a lovely touch. 

Would we go back?

Yes. The focus on delivering an interesting, innovative menu with just a few dishes on offer. Plus the customer service was excellent. 

Read our other restaurant reviews