Apulian Olives
Apulia

Apulia

50 Long Lane London, EC1A 9EJ, United Kingdom

Pizza • Seafood • European • Vegetarian


"This is the cutest, most heart warming place this side of Italy. Apulia lies on the fringe of Farringdon meat market and serves up simple but delicious dishes all cooked up with the love of every Italian grandma. Choose your starter from burrata, stuzzicoso, bruschetta and prosciutto di parma and enjoy with a glass of prosecco. And then the real feast begins. It 's genuinely hard to choose from the array of comforting delights on offer: artisan ravioli stuffed with ricotta and mushrooms, served with sausage, cherry tomato and pecorino cheese, spaghetti alle vongole and risotto with asparagus with sicilian king prawns, believe it or not, all had to give way to bigger and better options. To whet the appetite, we indulged in a margherita pizza to share and then picked the ravioli ricotta and truffle with portobello mushroom, sage and grana cheese which was rich and indulgent. The stracetti ai funghi is an original choice: beef strips with mushrooms and capers in a creamy butter and lemon sauce served with whole red rice with onions and 'escrolls ' and if you know what they are, you 're one step ahead of me. And for my personal favourite, the tagliatelli with king prawns, pesto and crushed cashew nuts. Creamy, decadent and delightfully tasty. And there 's a delicious selection of desserts to top off a perfect, homely meal. Uncomplicated, unspoiled Italian food at its very best. Wallet damage: 2 courses wine £30/person Vibe: your grandma 's kitchen Booking policy: they take 'em hurrah!"

Li Veli Winery & Bistro

Li Veli Winery & Bistro

69 Long Acre London, WC2E 9JS, WC2E 9NG, United Kingdom

Wine • Pasta • Italian • Ice Cream


"I had booked a table here for me, my mam and my pregnant sister after reading the menu online and the reviews, which seemed generally positive. When we arrived we were seated and ordered a bottle of sparking water. We were giving the lunch time menu even though it was half five. They don 't start the evening menu until 7pm. I had not viewed the lunch time menu online and I can 't recall there actually being an option to view the lunch time menu? I may be wrong on this account but I can 't remember seeing it. Unfortunately nearly every item on the lunch time menus contained cheese which my sister is currently unable to eat. My sister asked if she could see the night time menu instead and the waitress answered 'no, it 's lunch menu until 7 ' immediately without checking with anyone. My mam then asked what was in the special pasta and the description we got was 'pasta with zucchini in it ' and we had to seek further clarification about what sauce it was in, if any other meat or fish or vegetables were in it etc etc. Not really the best description! We decided to pay for our water and leave as there was nothing suitable on the menu for my sister and no soft drinks besides the normal high sugar fizzy drinks and water were available. I would have liked to think a Winery may have got one or two non alcoholic wines in but alas, no! The waitress brought our bill and at this point the manager came over nd said that he had spoken with the chef and we could choose from the evening menu. Unfortunately this was too little, too late as we had already agreed to leave. If the waitress had said she would ask or check with the chef initially, then we would have probably stayed but as we were just immediately told no, we saw no point in staying. I can not comment on the quality of the food but I think the service definitely left something to be desired and the very limited lunch menu should have a few more dishes added without cheese and it should be made clear that evening service does not begin until after 7pm."