Osteria dell' Angolo

[Man]

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!