Man

Is there really no thread on this restaurant? I had lunch there yesterday. The previous day I'd been at Hibiscus, had had a great meal, and was anticipating a climbdown from the heights reached there. I had also read some negative reviews. And the truth is that I am pissed off with Mr Beck for being one of the few Italian 3* without being Italian It started badly as we were offered a choice between two olive oils and the waiter could not tell us clearly where they were from. We Italians take olive oil fanatically seriously and if we don't know which side of which hill it comes from we become suspicious...And if we are told it is made of taggiasche olives (which come from Liguria) and produced in Imola (which is in a non-olive oil region, Emilia Romagna), we just want to flee the room. But after that, it was a climb to paradise. This is the best Italian (or Italianate) food I've had in London. The famous fagottelli carbonara exceeded all expectations, it's the best pasta dish ever. I'go back just for that. But the rabbit ravioli, on the other hand, were also the best rabbit ravioli ever. A pigeon in mustard seed sauce and a lamb wrapped in crepe and spinach were deep reaching, and a Sicilian cannolo cum cassata had a ricotta from paradise (I told you it was a climb to paradise). (More details and pics in a few days at our place.)

Been there for lunch today. Very accomplished, interesting cusine; and also great value at lunch. But. True, we didn't go for the fireworks of full tasting menu, so we may have missed something. Anyway, our thoroughly pleasant experience was definitely not at 3* level, as somebody sugegsted it might become. It's a solid 2*. We were impressed by an elegant Warm Royale of toasted rice and walnuts, by a delicate scallop and brown crab raviolo, by a powerful but judicious warm pithivier of pheasant & foie gras, and by a great combination of chestnut parfait with sharon fruit sorbet. We were happy even about something we never find satisfactory in French restaurants: the espresso coffee, which a supernice waiter offered to repeat after we judged the first sample merely 'fair'. Friendly staff. But some details lacking in the mise en place, leaving a huge gap to perfection. Only one type of bread. All good and almost memorable, but just almost. More details and pics at our place in due course.

I can confirm the one on Hibiscus will be positive (though from today's experience talk of 3* is excessive).

Oh oh David, looks like we have to update our two years old review! If things are so dire service-wise and unenthusing food-wise (even if it was the cut-price lunch) I wouldn't place any bets on their retaining their star. I know Baldino from the Latium days and he is very meticulous with staff training - if this kind of service is tolerated something may be afoot... There are so many other Italian options available in London now, the scene is really changing fast in this department. As I wrote here a few weeks back, for simple but fine Italian food I was impressed by the new chef (ex Latium) at Osteria dell' Angolo. I was deeply disappointed by Dolada, on which I had set too high expectations. My favourite remains Latium. On Sunday I am having my first Heinz Beck-like experience at Apsleys...which however will come just one day after Hibiscus, so it's going to be a tall order to impress!

I have just recently relocated from London to up there (here). Aside from the usual suspects, I was pleased and surprised to find several less exhalted places offering stunning materials (I fed on the freshest crab and lobster all end of Summer and I am now feasting on extraordinary mussles, game, mushrooms, and to be honest many London venues should feel ashamed by comparison). Almost none of them is at star level because of the cooking, but I have repeatedly eaten Michelin level food at 63 Tay Street (that's the name as well as the address, how efficient), in Perth. Graeme Pallister is, in my opinion, a talent. So there's my offchance bet. The Seafood Restaurant in St Andrews might also be in line.

...such as...

'a bit fatty' is a severe understatement judging from the photo in fact, are you positive it was prosciutto and not pancetta or some other fattier part?

A bit harsh! Consistently good cooking under pressure is difficult to find even in high end restaurants: I am impressed by these guys. One of the finalists had never even eaten in a starred restaurant - it takes some real raw talent to produce such dishes as he did with so little experience of fine dining. And it's nerve-wracking to cook a top chef's signature dish for the big man himself: nevertheless more than one succeeded in doing so to the chef's satisfaction. No, not bad at all, I would say. Any of them with some experience in a top cuisine will make a fine chef.

verdhelo (sp.?) Verdelho, or Verdejo

Last Monday Woman and I visited Osteria dell' Angolo in Westminster. I had heard some critical opinions on this recent Pulze venture, and less than two months ago there was a sudden change of personnel, both in the kitchen and in the front room. The new head chef is Massimiliano Vezzi. He was previously at Latium, my personal favourite for Italian cuisine in London. So I had high hopes. And indeed it was a very fine evening. The room is beautifully stylish in a light way, with a lounge bar in the front. There are a couple of semi-private tables upstairs, and downstairs in the vault there is a fantastic large private table. The cuisine is still very much Latium/Morelli style, both in the menu and in the composition and presentation of the individual dishes, which strike a fine balance between 'fine dining' and regional classics. I think Vezzi has decided to start from a safe base and will gradually find his own individual style, maybe developing a more regional theme. A glimpse of it was in the 'scialatielli' Sorrentini (pasta) with courgettes and clams, a perfect dish in its simplicity, elegant presentation, and balance between flavours, textures and moistness. We also loved a dish of scallops: exactly golden on the surface and just cooked inside, well judged seasoning, the condiment of earthy beetroot and lemon zest and green been accompaniment really adding dimensions to the dish. This was classy cooking. A guinea-fowl had been roasted beautifully and came with pumpkin sauce, savoy cabbage and glazed chestnut. My tastebuds said they enjoyed it, but all the sweetness in the dish made me think that the Maltagliati pasta with guinea-fowl ragout, thyme and pecorino cheese in the 'primi' list (which we didn't try) might be a more balanced combination. The hit of the evening was possibly the Pan-fried calf’s liver. This was an explosion of flavour matched by a deep wine sauce and an intense caramelized chicory. To finish we had an airy and light pistacchio Hazelnut nougat parfait with pistachio sauce, and a Zabaglione with Marsala ice cream and sable’ biscuit, which was simply delightful. In sum, as Italians, we can only be happy about this beautiful addition to the Italian restaurant scene in London. That Vezzi is a technically very accomplished chef we knew from Latium: at Osteria dell' Angolo one will for sure always find delicious dishes. The challenge for him now is to develop a fully independent, personal style. We will certainly be back to check!

I've recently eaten very well at Al Cambio, in Via Stalingrado. Very competent chef, right balance between tradition and modernity, excellent materials. I found its 'brother restaurant' (each chef has on the menu a dish by the other chef), Scaccomatto in via Broccaindosso, one notch below but still good. Both are moderately priced. Cesarina mentioned by John was one of my old favourites and a lovable institution, though I had the impression that you need to be on good terms with the manager to get the best bits...

No.

Spurred by David's recent enthusing comments, I have finally been there today, and have come back wowed by the lightness, imagination and control in those dishes. I had basically the same materials as David, but with different garnishes and with the salmon now presented as a main and the cod as a starter, both of which I found delicious despite some excess saltiness in the salmon (soy sauce). The pork belly was just spectacular, and the mushroom starter had flavours as clear as you can get and airy lightness. There was attention to details at any level. The crispy parmesan in the pre-starter was notable for its lack of saltiness, a common problem when drying up that cheese. The olive oil from Liguria and the 'liquid' olive tapenade were a nice touch (I may be biased as I am from Liguria), as well as the two dips, one of wasabi elegantly tamed by baby lettuce gem, the other of herbs yoghurt and barley, which accompanied the crispy bits (I was fully convinced by those too). The petit four, not your ordinary truffles and macaroons (although they were truffles and macaroons), and a good coffee left us happy and satisfied. We can't even complain about the bread despite being over-fussy about that. The 3 course lunch is amazing value in London for a cuisine of this level (I agree with the sentiment in this thread, it's comfortably a star). I am often annoyed by a certain meannes in many UK restaurants (compared to Italy which is the country where I eat most beside the UK). So I was warmed by the generosity of this lunch. Free crispy bits (which are served at £4.50 in the bar), another complimentary amuse and petit four in a £22 3-course lunch is not a usual sight... But with us, generosity pays off more than meanness - we will be there again soon for a 'real' dinner!

If it were just a bit of fun (which of course it isn't), I guess it would fall into the genre of absurd humour. (St John's the 14th best restaurant in the world? Yes, it does sound a bit like: 'Wile E. Coyote chases Road Runner after being smashed by a piano').

And yet I think it is exactly people like you, who have a deep experience of traditional Italian cuisine, who are in a best position to assess innovators like Cracco, because you would have the necessary cultural-gastronomic background to put what he is trying to do in context. I mean, if you have eaten hundreds of proper standard risotti you can better appreciate what a risotto with acciughe and cacao means. Wouldn't you be willing to give him an unprejudiced chance, based only on your sensory experience? (this is of course not to detract from Tupac's report which I found very perceptive).

That was actually very useful information. It's not that easy for ordinary consumers to find unpasturised milk, not even for those of us living (at the moment) in relatively rural/mountainous areas like Trentino. Anyway, we all agree at least that it is delicious.

Nice reports. I think the digestif you had was Petrus. It brought a nostalgic thought. Italian people of my generation still remember the impressive TV ads (in 'Carosello', just in case it means anything to any reader) when we were kids: you'd see a medieval looking, iron gloved fist banging on the table, with a very masculine voice stating, accompanied by Beethoven's Coriolanus ouverture: 'Petrus, l'amaro per l'uomo forte' (approximately: 'Petrus, the bitter liqueur for the strong man'). The other famous slogan was: 'L' amarissimo che fa benissimo', which I really would not know how to translate. It means that it is very bitter but does you a lot of good. We were dying to grow up and become real men so we could try Petrus. But then we discovered other things and forgot about Petrus, and some of us even discovered that the origin of the liqueur is Dutch. Probably more real men there than in Italy...

Very good report, thanks! The only question, I guess, is where to have lunch after all those amuse-bouches.

It seems not. He had the option of getting standard-size dishes, he had the option not to share. He chose instead to do both things, only to complain about the small portions and the sharing (or was he forced at gunpoint by the Sicilian waiter?). Sometimes I wonder why he even bothers to offer a review, in which he is clearly not interested, at the end of his articles: wouldn't it be better for everybody concerned if he limited himself to telling his entertaning stories? Thank god for egullet and the bloggers for serious reviews. I agree anyway with the sentiment expressed above that this is simply a good, possibly very good unpretentious trattoria and not fine dining, let alone a gastronomic paradise. But I'd still spend my money at Bocca di Lupo than at Theo Randall's, that one indeed the most over-hyped producer of Italian cuisine in London.

In the Italian department, I was very pleased to see Semplice get its star: I have been many times there (here's one impression) and can confirm it is top notch Italian cuisine. I was disappointed by the absence of Latium, which I consider at least as good as Semplice. And I was never impressed by Hartnett in her previous incarnation, so I guess I'd consider Murano a ripoff, but will try it. In our visit to Chapter One we made the easy prediction of a star: the cuisine had everything going for it. Similarly, L'Autre Pied was our other easy prediction. In the negative, we also got the demotion of One Lombard Street right: how pretentious and insubstantial.

Just read the piece in your blog, and everything else since then, its a great blog, consequently bookmarked ← Many thanks CalumC! Back to the Coren review, I am also slightly amused by his firm convictions on what 'authentic' Italian food must be. Am I missing the irony in his statetement that he can't find it in Italy? No: I think the irony is simply not there. Is it the Tuscan holidays in Chiantishire, I wonder, where that myth about 'authentic' Italian cuisine being necessarily simple things served alone on the plate was born? I truly believe that a certain type of British gastrocriticism is holding back Italian cuisine in London and the UK in general, widening the gap between the spectrum of cuisine types you can enjoy in contemporary Italy, and the astonishingly conservative and narrow offering in the greatest city on earth, of all places.

I relish the fact that somebody who professes to be so punctilious as Coren gets the spelling of the Chef's name repeatedly wrong - we ourselves were alerted by Kenedy that his name is not Kennedy (edited to correct (some of) my own spelling mistakes)

Nice review, but I am wondering whether you remember/the sommelier told you which Ripasso you got? (some readers might not know that ripasso is merely a technique to transform Valpolicella classico into a semi-Amarone, not a producer). I very much agree with what you say about generosity in UK restaurants. Normally I feel much more pampered in France and Italy.

If you read Italian there is a review from 2007 by 'Viaggiatore Gourmet' here and even if you don't read Italian the pictures are pretty clear on the type of cuisine and venue this is. Enjoy!

My experience couldn't have started in a worse way - 40 minutes wait on our booking time and the situation being handled awkwardly by the manager. When I finally was led to the small, dirty, stained, unclothed wooden table I thought: here we go, another ridiculous place for incomprehending Soho-types and Brit-crits happy to rave for eating in disgusting conditions and paying fine dining prices for fake and substandard Italian trattoria cuisine. I was in the worst of moods and ready to be negative on every aspect of the food. Yet the bread, olives and olive oil (always a tell-tale sign in an Italian place) moved the mood up one notch (nothing spectacular, but good; already an improvement on the vast majority). A (complimentary) initial seafood fritto misto showed cooking skill and high quality of raw materials (as well as a manager showing the care he seemed to lack in the beginning). The many other dishes that followed left me with the impression of a chef who is able to capture the essence of Italian regional cusine (notably Sicilian), with some personal interpretation. Fine dining it ain't, nor it aims to be. The flavours are intense but most of the times too bold, sometimes covering each other and lacking balance, with an excess of seasoning. He may be still striving too hard to attain the heartiness that most seek in an Italian dish. Once he relaxes and smoothes the edges, his food will be perfect, high level, trattoria food. Even now, I left satisfied and I'd have been more than happy to have had this sort of meal in Italy (something impossible anyway, in a regional place you find just that one region represented). The service overall was very good (don't expect a knowledge of the dishes at the level of high end restaurants). A full report with pics will follow.