"My wife and I were down in London to see a show and stayed over in Hammersmith and I'd found this place beforehand and had booked a table and good job I had, every table was taken and they were turning people away all evening. We shared the pizza focaccia bread to start, which was lovely, soft and warm and served with olive oil and balsamic, to dip into. My wife then had the seafood tagliolini dish and said it was the best pasta dish she's ever had and she loves pasta and regularly has it when we got out, so that is high praise. The prawns were proper big and meaty and the crab soft and she said every mouthful was a fishy taste sensation. Often with this type of dish the primary taste is tomatoes and the fish plays second fiddle but not here. I had the fillet steak in a peppercorn sauce with rosemary potatoes and a rocket and parmesan salad. I'd asked for my steak medium and it was spot on, cooked to perfection. Peppercorn sauce probably wouldn't be my first choice (blue cheese would) but this sauce was lovely, yes it had peppercorns in it but it was a hint, not overwhelming and detracting from the steak. The rosemary potatoes were lovely too and whilst a rocket and parmesan salad might be a simple dish and difficult to get wrong, it is possible but this was great too and went perfectly with my meal. My only slight criticism, and I haven't marked them down over it, as that would be unfair, because the meal was good, is that my Cacciari's handcrafted beer wasn't cold enough, barely cold even and it needed to be, so a tip for them, try to make sure your beer is cold. My glass of Chiaretto Del Garda on the other hand, was perfectly chilled and quaffable. Also, the service was impeccable, attentive but not intrusive, just how it should be. We've commented to ourselves about restaurants before, that those that seem to have a maitre d or someone who just has that all seeing eye, are so good and stand out from the crowd, well done. Would I go again, too right I would, would I recommend it, without hesitation but make sure you book. Dined 25th November."
Bucatini All'amatriciana
