Read what the food critics say and know that you have made the right choice when you book your table at Vero Ristorante Italiano. Also catch up on our latest news. Vero voted the very best for Italian. CELEBRITY chef Antony Worrall Thompson served up more than food when he presented an award to a family-run Italian restaurant. The Vero restaurant in Orpington was voted the best Italian Restaurant at the 2006 Kentish Times Food and Drink awards, on Monday September 18. With a slogan of 'True to ourselves, True to you', the restaurant takes great pride in providing its customers with the best Italian food experience in Kent.   Tony Amato, 34, leads and co-owns the family-run business along with Pietro and Valerie Amato, and he could not hide his delight at the restaurant picking up such a prestigious award. He said: "I am very pleased that our restaurant has been recognised for our food. It was a great honour to meet Antony Worrall Thompson and it will be great for business". The picture of us collecting the award will take pride of place in the restaurant window." The restaurant caters for lunchtime and evening meals with varied pasta dishes available.   Mr Amato added: "We have excellent pasta meals, along with ' great-tasting steaks and a fantastic range of fish' ". While the restaurant has been adjusting to its new-found fame, Mr Amato reserved special praise for his staff and chefs. High standards He said: "I am very pleased that the restaurant staff have performed so well in maintaining the high standards we set ourselves. "Everyone is pleased with the award and we hope more people come to our restaurant to judge for themselves".   With twin Sicilian chefs in the kitchen boasting over 80 years' experience between them, it is no wonder that they have pleased the palates of celebrities such as The Beatles along with the England and Arsenal football teams. And it's no surprise that their superb culinary skills have not gone unnoticed by Kentish Times readers. A man from Orpington, wants to gather £1,000 to £2,000 worth of new toys to give children at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Tony Amato, from Vero Italian restaurant in Orpington High Street, said if people bring a toy with a valid receipt, to the restaurant, he will give them vouchers to spend there.    "I thought it would be a really nice thing to do for the children" he said. Bromley Extra November 2005
SIBLING LOVE: A teenager with a rare condition is rewarded after giving up her trip for her brother Restaurant helps selfless girl to fulfill her dream. A local restaurant has raised thousands of pounds so a brave youngster can swim with dolphins in Florida. An Orpington teenager coping with a rare illness is planning the holiday of her dreams thanks to an Italian Restaurant. When Vero's owners heard 17- year-old Charli Wheeler sacrificed the chance to swim with dolphins in Florida so her brother could watch Arsenal, they thought she deserved a surprise.    The Orpington High Street restaurant organised a special evening and raised £8,000 to fly Charli first class to America. The youngster has endured more than 30 operations for VATER syndrome, a life threatening condition affecting development, and has the body of someone half her age. Mum Sharon Wheeler, who lives with Charli in Longbury Close, was delighted with the restaurants efforts. She said: "I think it was an amazing thing to do. People's generosity never ceases to amaze me."    Sharon was watching television with her daughter, a pupil at Marjorie McClure School in Chislehurst, when they saw a woman swimming with dolphins. Sharon said: "Charli tuned to me and said Mum, I would love to do that, so I wrote to Make a Wish Foundation." But then the youngster selflessly told the charity she had changed her mind and asked them to take brother Frank to watch his favourite team, and provide a family dinner at Vero instead.    Vero owner Tony Amato told Bromley Extra "As soon as I heard Charli's first wish was to swim with dolphins I thought, lets do it, lets raise the money. Everyone who came along was so generous and they all participated in making Charli's dream come true." The fund-raiser was held on April 20 and last week, her Great Ormond Street doctor agreed his patient was well enough to travel. An article form The Kent Messenger by Vicki Kellaway
If you're looking for a real Italian restaurant producing real Italian food, you can do no better than visit Vero Ristorante Italiano, in Orpington. In fact, I hadn't even realised until after I had written the above introduction that the restaurant's motto is True to Ourselves - True to You and is printed on their stationery.    At the helm of the kitchen are twin Sicilian chefs and co-owners who between them have over 80 years experience. They worked in Italy and London before opening and concentrating on their own business. Their enthusiasm and passion for Italian food is as prominent today as it has always been, they say.    My partner and I went along one Friday lunchtime expecting to find we had the place more or less to ourselves as it was shortly after New Year when most people are feeling the pinch. But no, the opposite was true, indicative of what must be a fantastic reputation. The place was absolutely packed out with diners ranging from couples to small groups of workers and what even looked like an office party. While there was a lunchtime special menu, we decided to try the main menu as we had a couple of hours to enjoy our meal. I started with mushrooms with garlic, grated cheddar and Parmesan, baked in the oven (£4.95) and my partner opted for Mediterranean prawns in a garlic butter sauce with salad garnish (£7.95), both absolutely delicious.    Much as I was tempted, I dared not empty my plate, having at best only an average appetite. For our main courses we selected the Scotch sirloin steak with brandy,garlic and peppercorn sauce (£13.95) and butterfried pousin marinated in Vero's own devil sauce (£13.45). Both came with smashed potato and vegetables. As expected, the meats were succulent and perfectly cooked, and the presentation faultless.    Dessert was impossible so we finished with liqueur coffees - the perfect ending to a perfect lunch. The food was wonderful, the service superb, and the ambiance so cosy and friendly, we were unwilling to leave. If you want to be true to yourself, pay a visit to Vero Ristorante Italiano in the near future.    But judging by this experience, make sure you book a table first if you don't want to be disappointed. Andrew Parkes reviews Vero, the Restaurant of the Month Limited Edition, February 2005
VERO Ristorante Italiano is a welcoming and modern restaurant offering a wide range of delicious food to suit all tastes. Staff at the popular venue are friendly and attentive and the decor is cosy, offering a modern twist on the traditional Italian restaurant.   Starters on offer include soups, prawns and bruschetta and there are delicious salads available as mains, starters or sides. None of the dishes are run of the mill, they are all carefully prepared and full of different flavours; the classic combination of rocket, sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan is fantastic.   The menu can suit any diet from vegetarian to Atkins, giving you the chance to sample from an extensive range of traditional Italian food. Main courses come in all sorts of varieties from familiar dishes such as carbonara to the more unusual spicy penne all'arrabiata. The freshly cooked food is full of different flavours and fresh herbs really set the dishes off well.   A good wine list is available, with various bottles on offer as well as the chance to order a glass, a carraffe (a litre jug), or half-carraffe of wine. There is a fully stocked bar, which also caters well for drivers and non-drinkers, with tasty fresh coffee.   All the fantastic food and wine can be enjoyed in a warm, relaxing atmosphere offering an irresistible combination which brings loyal customers back time and again. Bromley Express January 2005
Vero Ristorante Italiano, 332 High Street, Orpington, Kent BR6 0NQ Telephone: 01689 821561 Fax: 01689 877755

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