"In a part of London that isn’t exactly bereft of Italian restaurants – Enoteca da Luca is a real gem. I thought I knew this part of the City quite well but Devonshire Square came as a pleasant surprise. A really good example of how to develop a former Georgian warehouse. Enoteca da Luca is essentially two establishments – a wine bar and directly opposite, a more formal restaurant. It’s not the kind of place where the staff brandish giant pepper grinders, or have cheesy mandolin music in the background – it’s modern Italian in character, that’s very stylish indeed. The food we had was simply wonderful – all of it. We started with the mixed cured meats and cheeses for two. The contents were in superb condition and of a very high quality. This should be the standard in every Italian restaurant but two experiences of late proved it can also be disastrous. One branch of a well known Italian chain delivered something bordering inedible and last week, we paid only a couple of pounds less for ten wafer thin slices of salami (albeit good quality). This starter was the perfect appetiser. Choosing that starter was difficult as I had my eyes on porchetta from the menu and memories of Roman porchetta came flooding back. Incidentally, when I mentioned this to the excellent manager, he brought the porchetta out from the kitchen for me to see in all its glory. Guess what I will be having on our next visit? I didn’t choseit on this occasion as one of the main courses was Suckling Pig and again – I just couldn’t resist. That pork was simply outstanding. We make a big deal about pork in England and its accompanying “crackling” but trust me – it doesn’t even come close to this. The whole thing was spectacular. The same could be said for my wife’s rather safe choice of Chicken Milanese which again, is a simple dish but so difficult to get right. This had the crisp breadcrumb coating but the meat within was still wonderfully moist. My wife had the Pear and Ricotta cake for dessert, which like the rest of the meal was excellent. I had a glass of Vinsanto with some cantucci – hard to get that wrong really. The wine list is concise and has a good selection by the glass. For us, it was the inclusion of three examples of our favourite Italian grape variety – Primitivo. This grape varietal is looked down upon by “the trade” for its “fruit forward”, sweetish style. They seem to prefer the more drier style of wine but we know what we like and we like Primitivo. This example (Collezione 50 from San Marzano) was excellent. Service was friendly, very efficient and thoroughly professional. It’s only a five minute walk from the terminus of our local tube line at Aldgate, so the chances of us returning are 100%. An excellent establishment."
