The lucky residents of Wandsworth have a new Italian restaurant to boast about. Il Bocciolo (the rosebud) is a welcoming relaxed eatery serving an array of traditional Italian dishes. Young owner Luigi has accomplished an unusual feat, opening a restaurant at the age of just 25. He learnt from the best… growing up he worked in his parent’s restaurant on the Amalfi coast, learning the trade and cultivating an instinct about food, and in particular Italian cuisine. When he moved to London four years ago he was clearly determined to inspire Londoners with the food he had become so passionate about.

Feeling frayed from London’s unpredictable buses, we were starving and stressed and late for our booking at Il Bocciolo. Luigi has a calming presence and sweetly led us to a quiet corner table, retrieving water and prosecco while we relaxed. The venue is spacious but cosy, with an amorous Italian soundtrack adding to the convivial mood – it is the ideal restaurant to visit with friends for an intimate catch-up or for a more rowdy family reunion.

Plump herby olives arrived for us to nibble as we perused the menu. Il Bocciolo has a staggering choice of dishes, familiar and obscure. I prayed my appetite would hold out as there were more than several I wanted to try. To start we opted for Crispy calamari and courgettes, Tricolore salad and Melanzane (baked aubergine with laters of tomato and mozzarella). The kitchen efficiently prepared the dishes as well as some extra, complimentary rosemary Foccaccia and Arancini in tomato sauce; already my appetite was in danger of being defeated. The calamari were among the best I’ve tried, lightly coated in batter without becoming greasy, paired with the slivers of crunchy salted courgette. Tricolore salad was delicious, finely sliced tomato and gooey mozzarella, the avocado was a little under-ripe but I only noticed that because I am a fussy fan of this soft green fruit. My favourite was the melt-in-the-mouth melanzane, which I could happily have eaten as a main… perfectly cooked so that the aubergine was soft and not bitter with a sweet tomato sauce and generous oozing mozzarella – it was absolutely divine.

As a compromise we chose two pasta dishes and one meat, narrowed down from a much larger shortlist. Both pastas were tomato based: Meatballs with tagliatelle and Penne with aubergines, onions, mascarpone cheese & tomato sauce. The meatballs were gone almost instantly, I just about had time to taste a mouthful before my companion scoffed the lot. Needless to say they were very good, and well seasoned. Though simple, my pasta was irresistible and I was very sad not to finish it… a creamy tomato sauce with soft finely chopped vegetables, made more luxurious by the addition of mascarpone and grated parmesan. The rack of lamb was suggested to us when we could not decide on a meat option – it came dripping in mint sauce and accompanied by moreish (but very spicy) chilli broccoli and sautéed potato wedges. The meat was a fine cut, marbled nicely and cooked medium to ensure it was tender throughout.

Dessert caused further indecision: homemade Tiramisu or Pannacotta? Needing the kick from the coffee, I chose the tiramisu and we also ordered a chocolate fudge cake with ice-cream. The fudge cake was rich and tempting, served warm with masses of sweet sauce. I would definitely recommend trying one of Il Bocciolo’s homemade sweet treats. Tiramisu was utterly indulgent and delightful, layers of thick custardy cream and coffee soaked sponge topped in chocolate chips.

We rolled out of the restaurant, content and savouring our last mouthfuls. With miraculous instinct and unfaltering ambition, Luigi has succeeded in creating a menu of deliciously simple traditional Italian cuisine and a lovely place to enjoy it, a must for locals but also well worth travelling to.

More information here.

http://www.ilbocciolo.com/