Italian Archives - Major Foodie

Luca (Farringdon)

Richard Bagnold — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:57:38 +0000

New Michelin starred restaurant for the UK 2023 Guide serving value Italian options in the Barbican area of London

Luca is the brain child of Isaac McHale, head chef of 2 Michelin starred Clove Club in Shoreditch and one of the latest recipients of a Michelin star in the 2023 Guide for the UK. No surprises that head chef of Luca Robert Chambers previously worked at the Clove Club as well as some heavyweight establishments such as The Square under Phil Howard, L’Enclume and The Ledbury. This new Italian restaurant provides some very satisfying dishes, the excellent set menu of which I tried at the bar for £30 (for three courses). Based on the return this is a fantastic option, this was a strong advert to come back for a more lavish meal and enjoy the full a la carte another time. Based on this visit, it is actually in danger of becoming a new favourite of mine already.

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Unlike many starred restaurants where the bread is included, here the sour dough from Dusty Knuckle was priced as an extra but good nevertheless and served with olive oil. Parmesan fries were more waffle in texture with soft cheese running all the way through and whilst these are termed as a snack on the menu, you could seriously have this as a starter such is the generous portion size, Basically, if you have this, I don’t think you will need to have a starter, but that is just a friendly heads up.

My starter of mezzi pacchieri with marinda tomatoes, olives, capers and ricotta salata was deep in tomato flavour, heightened by the olive which thankfully did not make it too ‘olivey’. I also enjoyed the crispy herbs on top. My guest went straight for a main which was the fillet of lamb with jersey royals, wild garlic and salsa verde and this was reported as extremely good – it certainly seemed to have a generous portion size of lamb on for the set menu price. My main of Scottish halibut, celeriac, slow roasted garlic and smoked eel was a fresh and cooked well albeit, halibut not actually being my absolute favourite (on account of being strangely dry in its flakiness somehow). The supporting jus however was extremely good and the dish as a whole was very good.

Both desserts were tried. Tiramisù clearly had to be tried as an Italian classic and held a good mascarpone but perhaps a little too much cream in comparison to the former and soaked biscuit. I had more food envy over my guest’s pannacotta with mini doughnuts (yoghurt and vanilla pannacotta, yorkshire rhubarb and beignet), so much so that I am actually looking forward to trying this next time I am in.

Although the opening bar area is quite snug, the service all round was attentive and seemed happy in the main which is a nice change from venues that feel overstretched or under strain – it’s a pleasure to be in the hands of those that are in calm, control as always. The fact that Luca is literally a 3-4 minute walk at the most from the Elizabeth Line (Farringdon) station, with its very reasonable menu and the atmospheric buzz that seemed to be in full swing on this visit, means that whilst it is not the highest scoring option on my list, it is the another perfect example of how best is different from favourite, which, for all the reasons above, is where this restaurant could be headed for me.

Food Grade: 73%

Location

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Cecconi’s (Bicester Village)

Richard Bagnold — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 17:49:23 +0000

New opening of Cecconi's chain in Bicester Village shopping outlet

Cecconi’s opened in London in 1978 to huge interest owing to its insanely high prices for luxury dining (think the rarest white truffle poured over several dishes). It closed in 2004 and Enzo Cecconi’s name continued as an Italian food brand, bought up by Soho House in 2004. There are single branches in several of the world’s key cities and now this branch has taken over the site briefly occupied by The Wolseley Cafe, which sadly did not manage to go the distance here. This spontaneous, drop in visit whilst shopping demonstrated genuinely good hospitality and some classic Italian dishes done well. The carpaccio had good flavour and not smothered in too much oil as can very often be the case and even the sides of creamed spinach and zucchini fries were a pleasant surprise (good consistency on the creamed spinach and the zucchini fries were crisp and also not overloaded with hot oil). There is also a pizza section on the other side of the restaurant which also looked tempting. A good option to try in general if one is shopping at Bicester and this will undoubtedly serve the shoppers well.

Food Grade: 64%

Location

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La Colombina (Venice)

Richard Bagnold — Fri, 06 May 2022 18:50:27 +0000

Family owned and run small restaurant in north Venice serving classic Venetian dishes

La Colombina has received multiple accolades, proudly showing its Michelin plates (meaning Michelin recommended) from 2019-2021. It is family run, bustling with atmosphere and busy virtually every single day it is open. I liked the opening of the carrot amuse bouche (albeit quite subtle) and the assortment of appetisers that can be selected represented good value – 4 pieces are €12 and the table can have 12 for €36 and included the Venetian classic of Baccalà (cod mixed with potato puree) and other local fish. These ranged from fine to fair. The scallop au gratin seasoned with Sicily oranges was reportedly fine and I thought the Porcini asparagus souffle served on a Montasio cheese fondu, as well as the ravioli filled with buffala’s ricotta cheese, spinach, tomatoes and basil were likewise fine. A classic tagliatelle bolognaise was enjoyed by all. This is not the most spacious of venues (which made for a very homey and charming atmosphere) however, it does mean large groups may want to consider the size of the party and a firm recommendation when manoeuvring to the restroom at the back is to watch your footing to make sure you do not step on the resident family dog, usually found sleeping near the back area.

Food Grade: 67%

Location

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Antico Martini (Venice)

Richard Bagnold — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:46:12 +0000

Charming and historic restaurant in the

Antico Martini is a restaurant that dates back to 1720 as a coffee house and which once had regulars in the 1930s such as Toscanini, Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles in its then guise as a piano bar. Now a converted restaurant, the setting is absolutely charming in a more secluded, tiny square of central Venice. That, combined with the heritage of the ‘cafe’ and quality of the food is why I believe this to be one of the gems of Venice. The truffle linguine was one of the best I have ever had with the sauce being potent with genuine truffle (you would be surprised how many are not) and was without an avalanche of cream as many, poorer versions are; just well-judged butter and stock here, combined with freshly made pasta. This was utter beauty in its simplicity. The classic Vongole (spaghetti with clams) was reportedly very good at the table as was the classic Antico spaghetti (served with mussels) and Bronzino (Mediterranean sea bass) from all the seasoned diners and local residents of Venice with me. With wine, the whole meal was €233 (£202) for four which, at approx £50 per person is basically very reasonable for the whole return. Thoroughly recommended for all the above reasons.

Food Grade: 75%

Location

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Vetri Restaurant (Murano)

Richard Bagnold — Thu, 05 May 2022 11:25:59 +0000

Creative and modern cooking in a restaurant overlooking the main canal of Murano

Vetri is a modern Restaurant located in an historic and converted glass factory, positioned overlooking the jaws of the main entranceway to the island of Murano (“Canale di Murano” or the “Murano Canal”), just outside of Venice. There were some extremely enjoyable dishes in this meal showcasing the local fish to very good levels, finishing off with a dessert, painted on our indoor table reminding me of scenes I saw at Alinea in Chicago. For the setting, design of menu, hospitality and overall impact, I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant and would go back in a heartbeat. It also has a lovely coffee area on its ground floor open terrace which includes a large selection of savoury sandwiches and sweet confectionary options albeit with less, professional service that was experienced in the upstairs restaurant.

Food Grade: 72%

Location

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Luciano by Gino D’Acampo (The Strand)

Richard Bagnold — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:18:20 +0000

London, flagship restaurant of Gino D'Acampo serving multi-regional Italian dishes

Luciano opened in August 2021 and is one of six restaurants from Gino D’Acampo (the others being in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and another in London). Luciano sits nestled within the same building of ME Hotel on the Strand (Aldwych) via it’s own, separate door. For detailed notes of the meal I had, please click the expansion button below, but the summary for this first visit is that I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. It would be understandable for many to assume that a high profile name above a restaurant would not guarantee great results (and there are several I could cite) however, I actually would not place this as such. In general, the multi-regional dishes were executed well in their classic offerings and the environment makes for a swept up and casual occasion that would seem to suit business lunches and social gatherings well.

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The menu is broken down in to the traditional categories for Italian cuisine with prices ranging from £9-£17 for starters and £18-£39 for mains and most desserts placed at £9, meaning that it can cater for most budgets and is relatively in keeping with central London. The wine list encompasses French and Italian wines and it was good to start with a fresh glass of sparkling Italian Franciacorta.

Freshly baked Italian bread crisps arrived with a basil pesto, which was a good break from just olives. I opted for the classic carpaccio, conceived by Giuseppe Cipriani in the early 1950s at Harry’s Bar in Venice (and named after the painter Vitorre Carpaccio). This was served with a Venetian dressing (usually a mayonnaise made with Worcestershire sauce and lemon) and found this nicely balanced, with its appropriate bite of acidity. The sharpness in the sauce was not overly powerful but just right and the carpaccio itself was thin and with good flavour. The only aspect I didn’t quite agree with were the breadcrumbs that were essentially too hard and gritty in texture (as was their purpose to add crunch). Had these been a little lighter on the jaws I think this would have improved the overall enjoyment.

My dining companion opted for Vitello Tonnato thinly sliced tuna with caper mayonnaise and tomato. Also ordered was the classic carbonara which we were delighted came with cured guanciale (from pork jowl / cheeks) as opposed to the very often over used and cheaper pancetta (from pork belly). Not only is guanciale more traditional for this dish but also has a deeper flavour which was exceedingly pleasant within this dish. The pasta itself was nicely al dente and the sauce clearly made from egg yolk as another important aspect (not made with cream); a micro comment is that it was just a little too runny and being cooked a little more to cling to the pasta more without having scrambled eggs, this would have elevated the dish even higher.

The Devonshire crab ravioli with tomato and chili basil revealed pleasant pasta again with a viscous sauce made with fish stock and what appeared to be a mix of brown and white crab (the majority being the latter). This was fine, no immediate fireworks experienced but was a pleasant and light dish.

For the mains, I ordered the whole, fully grown Dover sole (superior to slip sole and lemon sole) and was delighted to be asked how I would like this cooked – on or off the bone. I have genuinely not been asked this question for quite a while and was great to hear (cooking on the bone simply gives far more end result flavour and allows the diner to scrape all four sides of the fish). Whilst quite thick, the lemon caper butter was seasoned well and the fish cooked very well for an overall, very enjoyable plate. My dining companion opted for the veal cutlet Milanese (dipped in egg, flour and then breadcrumbs) served with lemon. This is very similar to the fabled veal schnitzel from Austria but the two regions are very close together so there are plenty of arguments as to where the dish actually originated from. The veal itself was tender enough but a touch bland as a meat and was heightened by the lightly fried breadcrumbs and lemon that came with. Zucchini fries were served on the side as was the very surprising tender stream broccoli, with olives, chili and pecorino which were absolutely great – the combination of the chili and the pecorino working like an unexpected charm for something so simple.

The desserts ordered were the vanilla panna cotta with blackberries and honeycomb which was overall at the right consistency for panna cotta and the chocolate mousse was very nicely done underneath quite a hard and thick shell of chocolate to get through. I was informed that the coffee came from Caffen Cofee for my double espresso served with the requested side or warm milk.

Overall, this was unexpectedly pleasant experience in a comfortingly designed (bright) and atmospheric restaurant that would seem to work well for most occasions. Service was generally attentive with napkins reset during comfort breaks and engaging staff with generally good subject matter guidance. I would recommend a visit here as I can safely put the ‘doubters’ of Mr D’Acampo aside based on this visit and happy to say that it is actually not a bad effort at all, authentic and will suit any in need of an Italian fix.

Press review on 9 Mar 22.

Food Grade: 72%

Location

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Zafferano (Knightsbridge)

Richard Bagnold — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 18:14:56 +0000

Ex-Michelin starred venue serving fresh Italian food

24th August 2020
28th June 2011

A long-overdue return to ex-Michelin starred Zafferano. The executive chef Miles Nixon has been in place since the mid-2000s however there have been a string of different head chefs running the kitchen day to day. The summary is that I was delighted to see that the menu on this occasion was a lot better than it was on my first visit in 2011 and now with a new head chef. There is al fresco dining available and the venue is very much a Knightsbridge establishment. It has also received a major refurbishment as of 2020 and looks much more updated as a result.

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For the uneasing of lockdowns, the covers to be made available had to drop from 200 covers down to 120. Bread was homemade focaccia which was very good and served with Sardinian salami. The first small course was veal which was good quality, served with tuna and with a lively kick of caper sauce. Linguine with lobster and sweet chili was the clear winner for my guest (and was good) and my tagliolini with black Summer truffle from Umbria was actually wonderful.

Desserts were a mix of classic tiramisu which was served on a brandy snap and was very well done as one can expect. Another one chosen was a cheesecake with a sour cherry ice cream and this was also good. Coffee was from Drury coffee and the petit fours consisted of apricot and coconut, chocolate truffle and caramel, a crostini with apricot and lemon curd and mini ice cream and hazelnut. Quite a lot of effort on just the petit fours alone and this was definitely a notch up from my abysmal first visit in general.

Food Grade: 74%

This was a pleasant lunch no question as the ingredients were pure and fresh. I couldn’t help thinking though that it was entirely plain. At the time of my visit they had a set menu, which I sampled and was not hugely impressed with – the starter was a mozzarella ball on on a bed of sliced cherry tomatoes and the main was turbot on a bed of green beans with a pesto blob on the top. Fresh and well cooked yes, but entirely non-special for a Michelin starred restaurant. So much more effort could have gone in to this and it actually ranks as the most uninspiring / disappointingly basic set menu I have had within any Michelin starred restaurant. Perhaps the a’la carte may be a little better but sadly the experience has made me not want to dive to the front door again in any hurry. If I need to take someone out who adores Italian food and I happen to be in the area and we happen to be hungry, then I will try Zafferano again.

Food Grade: 47%

Location

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Trullo (Highbury)

Richard Bagnold — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 11:57:28 +0000

Unfussy Italian cooking in a homely upstairs room or downstairs bar

Trullo opened in 2010 but seems to have gained attention in current times perhaps from their continued desire to freshly prepare pasta on site and be as sustainable as possible. Whilst I applaud both of these, the net result I found, were dishes that were pleasurable but not hugely memorable at the same time. Bread comes from Padella, the sister restaurant to Trullo from the same owners (Tim Siadatan and Jordan Freida). The dishes tried were bruschetta liver with fig (worked well to balance), sardines, pappardelle with beef shin ragu, pici cacio e peppe and fettucine with tomatoes (a touch too subtle) which were good to be uncomplicated. Pasta is a joy when showcased without too many other parts, but it is difficult to compete with simple pasta in Italy, and I thought the cacio e peppe would have been better as tried at Cacio & Peppe in Rome, where the pasta is the showcase. The prices are very reasonable here though and the three of us were full-on roughly £20 per head, so this is a good drop-in location.

Food Grade: 62%

Location

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Beck at Browns (Mayfair)

Richard Bagnold — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 19:27:52 +0000

Wonderful Mediterranean cooking and hospitality in the main restaurant of Browns Hotel

12th April 2019
26th February 2019
31st December 2018
18th December 2018

In my opinion, Browns hotel is practically an institution in London, with its classic, black railing Mayfair exterior on Albermarle Street, charming 5-star boutique nature and beautiful afternoon tea setting. Heinz Beck is the master behind the scenes here, hence its title, with himself owning 3 Michelin starred La Pergola in Rome. After spending several years at La Pergola, amongst other venues, Heros De Agostinis was deployed in early 2018 from La Pergola to carry the Beck flame at Browns hotel for Italian cuisine. I have now been there four times such is the appeal from my first visit and based on this thorough examination, not only is it clear as daylight to me that this is operating in the 1 Michelin starred tier, but I have yet to have better Mediterranean food anywhere else in the UK at time of writing. Set lunch is a cracking deal at £29 for three courses including extras and the acoustics and spacing of the tables within the restaurant combined with the honest service make this a winner of a place all round. I was delighted to see on this last visit that the wine list has been altered to be more inclusive. Although it may look overly grand, it has never been stuffy on any of my visits. I highly recommend this restaurant.

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A selection of crudités in ice started the proceedings to munch on and were, as usual, vibrant and pleasant to dip in the olive oil, balsamic and creme fraiche. Other snacks included Gillardeau oysters with matcha tea jelly & yuzu, smoked salmon, potato cream & horseradish tarteletts (my favourite among the snacks) and mini tacos with buffalo mozzarella & tomato. Nicely done and a pleasant way to start.

Roasted octopus, pecorino romano cheese & infusion of green pea was a first starter with the peas doing a lot of the talking in being such good quality (actually more of a talking point than the octopus). An absolute favourite of mine here is the Fagottelli alla carbonara – delicate pasta parcels with pecorino, parmesan, egg yolk and (shhh!) a tiny dash of cream. Although some protest at cream in a carbonara, I do not care, this makes it sheer savoury liquid heaven (as its purpose) and with the dried crispy bacon shavings on top, frankly it is worth coming here just for this dish (now on the tasting menu only). It’s also important that I mention that this is one of the stand out dishes of the 3 Michelin starred La Pergola and as far as I can tell, there are only minuscule differences between how this Fogattelli compares in the two restaurants – that’s not bad!

Roast leg of milk-fed lamb, coastal vegetables, yoghurt & spices was very nicely done, the lamb having good flavour and perfectly cooked. The combination with the spiced yoghurt, already well balanced, with pleasing veg and finely presented Hasselback, or potato fan. Risotto with Robiola cheese, spiced pork salumi & courgette flowers was nicely moist, had a good stock and with well-chosen textures to add a welcome crunch. The cheese board covered most of Europe and came with pleasant chutney additives and additional rye bread.

Usually this would be it in terms of the write-up, but the raspberry gel petit fours are so good here that they are worth their own mention. It’s very rare you find these at the right softness and taste – I find they are either the right flavour but with the texture of a squash ball, or squidgy enough but with levels of sweetness that feel like they could dissolve your teeth in a matter of minutes. These however, are the absolute best of both worlds, so soft and lightly sweet, with just enough fine, caster sugar, it is actually a talking point. The salted caramel truffles and raspberry macarons are also notably good here as petit fours.

All in, this was approximately £100 per person which, with some very upgraded wine by the glass, is not that bad at all for the quality and setting. If you are a member of the Luxury Restaurant Guide, you also get a free glass of champagne at your meal if you order from the a la carte menu and this is a superb offering as well. For all the above reasons, I think this is a truly great spot in London, serving some carefully chosen and well-executed Mediterranean and Italian food that I have yet to find being trumped anywhere in the UK for this cuisine. In conclusion, frankly I have no idea what the Michelin Guide GB & Ireland are holding out for here. 2020….?

Food Grade: 81%

For background details on Beck at Browns, please see my latest review. Suffice to say I was utterly treated by my friend for this lovely occasion and was a double pleasure to be able to catch Mr Heinz Beck on a chance visit to his restaurant and Head chef at the same time. Clearly, the Fagottelli had to be done by someone, but new dishes tried on this visit were the Veal sweetbread and strawberry dessert. The sweetbread Milanese was served with salsa tonnato (a tuna mayonnaise sauce traditionally served with veal) & garden vegetables which all worked very well together with the sweetbread being moist. The strawberry variation dessert was served with a softly whipped cream, couli, strawberry shard and breadcrumbs; no absolute frills, but as pleasant a classic strawberry combination as one can have. The petit fours still held their own and were pleasing to the whole table, which held all living generations and I was delighted that Beck at Browns seemed to fit the occasion perfectly. The party was in very good hands throughout, as was I in such good company.

Food Grade: 80%

For background details on Beck at Browns, please see my latest review. This was a Birthday celebration lunch on New Year’s Eve and was actually a nice way to do it when the streets are still relatively clear and then escape before the carnage. Different dishes had on this occasion included roasted foie gras, ravioli and linguine. The roasted foie gras was served with artichoke puree, artichoke crisp and raspberry jus which was a good combination, the artichoke working surprisingly well. The clam linguine with zucchini was reportedly very good however, the tomato ravioli was in last place by all accounts; nothing poor, but the pasta was a fraction too hard beyond al dente and low impact as a dish overall. Fagottelli raised the bar sufficiently to forgive this dip and all put to right thereafter. A repeat of the wonderful tiramisu was also clearly needed owing to being such a light and enjoyable winner all round. The bill came to £135 for three with glasses of wine (three of which were courtesy of membership to the Luxury Restaurant Guide again – a winning discount here!) and this, again is a very fair deal. Another very satisfying visit.

Food Grade: 79%

For background details on Beck at Browns, please see my latest review. This was my first visit to this restaurant and I was heartily pleased to be back where I had heard Heinz Beck had actually inserted his 3 Michelin starred Fagottelli from La Pergola which I have previously done. I was delighted to see and taste that there were only micro differences between the dish served in Rome and this one. Please see my latest review on why I think you should go here just for this dish. Otherwise, I got a hard-hitting impression from this first meal that not only is the environment alluring whilst being non-snooty at the same time, but it somewhere you can see yourself going back to time after time. Is there any other result you would want for a visit to a restaurant and for the restaurant itself?

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Snacks were had in the bar which consisted of oysters with tarragon and tomato gels, mini tacos with beetroot and avocado cream and crostinis served with butter and anchovy, lemon cream and caviar. These were certainly a very strong first impression just to nibble on. I have had snacks and canapes in Michelin starred restaurants that these would put entirely to shame.

Sea bass carpaccio was served with cannellini beans, vegetable crudités and white truffle of Alba and lime. All the supporting parts went well with the fish which was not too marinated as a carpaccio which was good to see (some can be doused too much, making them more as they should be as a ceviche). Dressed crab, grilled cabbage, carrot and lemon dressing was another beautifully fresh starter. The carrot sauce was sweet and worked very well with the crab which was also 100% shell free which seems to be a rarity these days and a considerable bonus for this visit(!). Scallops came from Scotland and came with potato crisps and pickled Tropea onions (red, long and sweeter onions from Tropea, Southen-tip of Italy).

Veal tartare was served with parmesan cream truffle, rosemary bruschetta and sandwiched in between two thinly sliced pieces of sourdough that were shallow fried. Yes, this was as sumptuous as it sounds and the veal tartare itself perhaps gaining a significant hand from its accompaniments, but boy were they a welcome hand! You could probably hoover this dish in a matter of seconds if there were no restrictions.

However, the absolute crown of the meal went to the Risotto. By the time this came, we were actually getting a little full, and I vividly remember thinking that it was going to be too much when I saw it. These thoughts utterly disappeared and were replaced with the thought there might not be enough of it as it was genuinely that marvellous. Aside from the superb veal stock that had clearly gone into it, the delightful textures from the stock and the light crunch of the artichoke crisps were complimented by one of the greatest truffle balancing acts I have ever had. In terms of a risotto the only that could compare from memory was that served in La Calandre, a 3 Michelin starred restaurant in Padua, 20 minutes south of Venice where their liquorice and saffron risotto is well known in the food explorer’s world. I actually think as a risotto, this was perhaps even better and left me smiling for the rest of the day.

The finale to the meal was trying what could clearly be the only thing to try for an Italian meal and with only a tiny amount of space left, which was the tiramisu. The modern take on this was nicely done in serving it affogato (traditionally espresso poured over vanilla ice cream) and this was an espresso and chocolate sauce over the tiramisu which was as light as a cloud and a genuine pleasure.

This meal was not the cheapest (see receipt for why) and in terms of either having a sensational glass of the Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia at £75 each, or something average, the answer in our heads was, “Well, it’s Christmas!”. Overall this made for a pretty hefty £250 each, but in the surroundings, service and offerings that were had, I am far more happy paying this for these sorts of pleasures than an average meal at even a third of this price which, can very often be the case.

A brilliant first visit, revealing a confirmed little gem.

Food Grade: 86%

Location

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Petersham Nursaries (Covent Garden)

Richard Bagnold — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 23:40:17 +0000

Covent Garden-based branch of the Petersham chain in Richmond

The original Petersham Nurseries is a garden centre in Richmond with a restaurant by the side of it which at one time in recent years held a Michelin star. This is one venue that wished to hand their star back (which, is technically not possible in spite of however many people say this is) and this branch of Petersham Nurseries opened in Covent Garden in 2019. There are three dining facilities within the complex (The Petersham, La Gocci and a Petersham Deli) which also holds an alluring mini courtyard you can walk through to have a look. This lunch showed a modest level of food from a Mediterranean menu in a pleasurable setting.

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The restaurant sits off a courtyard that has pleasant al fresco options in the summer and has a very pleasant and large, embroidered linin napkin for each guest and there is some good focaccia to start off with (the sourdough being a little too chewy and a little under par on the crust).

I fancied small plates on this occasion and opted for a courgette flower friti with sage and lemon which has become a classic option. The tempura was actually very hard and crunchy with indistinct courgette and deep-fried sage unfortunately on this version. A variety of tomatoes: cherry, yellow submarine, tigrella were enjoyed as a salad.

Mackerel with chestnut and yoghurt like mayo was fresh but a little under seasoned. Sadly it di no really singing mackerel and lemon improved this slightly. A side of salad was earthy in flavour and the bulky elements could have been stemmed a little better – £6 for some leaves was not great when served at this level.

Overall this was a little disappointing as a food experience however, it is a nice spot and perhaps a coffee and small bite in the sunshine of the warmer months al fresco will be a better option for here until it finds its feet more in the kitchen.

Food Grade: 54%

Location

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