Tag Archives: Italian

Diciannove, Blackfriars

Posted on by

Hotel restaurants are often average. Diciannove at the Crowne Plaza hotel, however, is not. This Italian restaurant offers fresh and tasty Mediterranean food, that doesn’t promise innovation or modernity, but succeeds because of quality ingredients and traditional cooking skills. The prices reflect this casual style of cuisine and are reasonable considering the central city location of Blackfriars.

The white wine Gavi di Gavi, chosen by our waiter because “all the ladies love it,” was absolutely delicious. Light and refreshing without detracting from the flavour of the food, it suited our meal perfectly. We started on a selection of sharing dishes: super skinny courgette fritti, polenta chips, burrata with grilled aubergines and tomatoes and rosemary focaccia, it was an array of different textures and tastes, almost like a make your own Italian platter. The burrata was our favourite, particularly creamy and fresh, it needed an extra grind of black pepper, but nonetheless was a delicious start to the meal.

The menu has several signature dishes, my friend was talked into trying the fillet of beef with soft polenta and seasonal mushrooms, while I opted for roast Luganica sausage ravioli with pinenuts and sage. The ravioli had a lovely herby buttery aroma but the pasta was over-stuffed with meat and it was simply too much for me to manage. The beef had a lovely velvety texture paired perfectly with rustic mushrooms and polenta (an ingredient I believe is under-used)!

Dessert was a struggle, a selection of three of the top puddings were delivered to our table in glasses. If only we had had the inclination to devour them… Tiramisu lacked coffee and sponge with an overload of cream, chocolate mousse with chocolate salami was as absurdly rich as it sounds, but the Zabaione lemon curd and custard dessert was surprisingly light, fluffy and tasty.

There are only a few disadvantages as a restaurant reviewer… the most painful of which is disappointing the eager-to-please waiters. At Diciannove the staff were keen to feed us up with every Italian delicacy from the kitchen. We witnessed forlorn faces as they took away half full plates.

Despite its slight drawbacks and slight lack of atmosphere, if I was staying at Crowne Plaza Hotel on business, I’d be delighted to discover Diciannove restaurant on site, a friendly and appetising Italian eatery.

More information here: www.diciannove19.com

Aperitivo at L’Anima, Liverpool Street

Posted on by

L’Anima is a design haven, a smart, award-winning Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. The menu, which I only glanced at, offers enticing contemporary Italian dishes by renowned chef Francesco Mazzei.

Three of us met up there for an after-work aperitivo, a lovely Italian tradition of drinks and nibbles in the early evening. This habit is becoming more popular across the rest of Europe, as restaurants begin to cater for guests wishing to just stay for a cocktail and snack. Hidden around the corner from Liverpool Street Station, L’Anima is not easy to find and I felt flustered when I arrived after fighting through the swarm of suited businessmen on the streets outside. Unlike many of the venues in this corporate-orientated area, L’Anima manages to create a stylish and relaxed atmosphere.

The cocktail list is dominated by Campari-based aperitivi, typically strong, bitter drinks with a splash of Prosecco or other mixer. Not a fan of a bitter taste, I chose one of the more subtle Martini cocktails: the fresh ginger, green apple, bison grass Zubrowka vodka, and apple juice present an energising and sweet drink. My friend chose the much-recommended L’Anima Star, an unusual combination of exotic flavours with a dash of Prosecco to finish. This passionfruit and vanilla orange concoction was beautifully presented with half a passionfruit floating on the surface. Served alongside it was a vintage glass containing an iced shot of Prosecco. My second guest tried the more grownup and traditional L’Anima Negroni, a twist on the original recipe using vanilla aromatic vermouth and a touch of tequila. Served in a tumbler with an impressive ball of ice, this was more of a boy’s drink.

I almost forgot about the food aspect of aperitivo. A small newspaper-lined bowl arrived halfway through our drinks. Delicious mouthfuls of pastry with a tangy tomato and cheese interior. It was a nice bite, though I expected something slightly more substantial.

The drinks were delicious and the atmosphere supercool, hopefully next time I’ll try the restaurant but this time it was not to be. We left in search of supper elsewhere.

More information and book here: www.lanima.co.uk

Homeslice, Covent Garden

Posted on by


Homeslice is pure pizza heaven. You won’t find any salads, puddings or pastas here, it’s just delicious pizza. Nothing more. Nothing less.

After two years on the street, these pizza enthusiasts have found a home in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden. Here they’ve built giant wood fire ovens and produce huge 20″ pizzas to eat in or out, by the slice or whole.

Interestingly, the news of Homeslice’s arrival on the London food scene has been quite hush-hush. Everyone who is in the know wants to keep it as their little secret. I can’t help but blab about it.

It is definitely a real foodie destination and you have to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get seriously messy. Egged-on by the sweet waitress, we went large with a whole 20″ pizza to share between just the two of us – this costs just £20 (slices are £4 each). With eight unusual options on the menu it is hard to select just one, so you can choose to have half-and-half. After much deliberation, we chose the salami and rocket, and the caprese pizza. Also on the menu was: mackerel, mint and pea; oxtail with horseradish cream; black pudding with apple and watercress. We weren’t brave enough to try any of these.

The bases are so thin they almost disintegrate in your hand, we found it easier to roll or fold the pizza before stuffing it in our mouths. The toppings are evenly piled on top, ultra fresh and tasty. Our favourite was the salami and rocket, a lovely combination of spicy meat and peppery leaves topped with creamy mozzarella.

Homeslice offers good food fast, a mecca for pizza lovers.

More information here: www.homeslicepizza.co.uk