insideKENT Magazine Issue 32 - November 2014 | Page 110

TOWNSPOTLIGHT

Haysden Country Park

dining out
There is so much choice when it
comes to dining out in Tonbridge!
Take you pick from Italian, Chinese,
Indian, Thai, or good old pub grub;
you won’t be disappointed.
Kathmandu Valley – The
Kathmandu Valley offers authentic
Indian and Nepalese cuisine with a
modern edge. With great service
and new dishes to try, it’s no
wonder that customers return again
and again. The food includes
pakoda balls (mushrooms stuffed
with paneer and spices), khasi
keema (barbecued mince lamb),
and dil pasandi (chicken cooked
with wine and nuts in a creamy
sauce). This is different and
delicious.
El Mariachi – This Cuban/Mexican
fusion restaurant has won the
Certificate of Excellence in 2014 for
its outstanding food. If you enjoy a
tapas-style meal at good prices and
with an atmosphere that is friendly
and light, then you will love El

Shoppers at farmers' market © Lee Wells

Mariachi. The restaurant is ideal for
larger parties, and the tasting menu
will allow you to sample a little of
everything, which means you don’t
have to make any hard decisions.
With cocktails to add to the mix,
this is a fun night out.
Amore Libero – This Italian
restaurant is welcoming and friendly,
and serves the most traditional of
pastas and pizzas, as well as some
more modern takes on the old
favourites. The service is speedy
without making you feel rushed, and
there is plenty of choice on the
menu. The fact that it won’t break
the bank is a definite bonus!
Finch House Café – Not for an
evening meal, this café serving fine
foods is a daytime treat. Everything
is fresh and locally sourced, and
the menu includes new and
interesting soups (such as pumpkin
and spinach), just-baked pies,
sandwiches, salads, and of course
mouth-watering cakes and pastries.
Family owned and run, the Finch
House Café has become a muchloved part of Tonbridge’s high street.

annual events
Every year the Tonbridge Arts Festival gets bigger and better. Taking place
at the castle in July, these few days of merriment are all about artistic
endeavours that include books, music, painting, and performance art. It
runs over six days, so take your pick as to which day suits you best – a day
of festival music? Some magic? Jazz or Motown perhaps? Readings from
local authors? Exhibitions by local artists? Whatever takes your fancy you
can enjoy it each summer in Tonbridge.
On a different track (literally), every September the Tonbridge Lions Club
and Tonbridge Rotary Club organise the Tonbridge half marathon. When
it began in 2011, Dame Kelly Holmes was the first runner!

top spot
For arts and culture, for get-togethers
and gatherings, for seeing friends and
meeting new people, there aren’t many
better places in Tonbridge than The
Oast Theatre. Once upon a time this
was a 19th-century oast house, and
then something magical happened; in
1974 The Oast Theatre was created.
Hosting an incredible 10 productions
each year, as well as an additional four
shows from the youth section of the
theatre and arts club, this is the busiest
theatre in Kent.

did you know?
On 22nd February 2006 the biggest ever cash robbery in Britain was carried out with £53 million being
stolen. And where was it stolen from? The Securitas depot in Vale Road, Tonbridge.
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