Traditional Lasagna
La Trattoria By Alfredo Russo

La Trattoria By Alfredo Russo

15 Cromwell Pl, South Kensington, London SW7 2LA, United Kingdom

Vegan • Italian • Vegetarian • Gluten Free


"Hidden below street level, this restaurant is as one keen reviewer eloquently put it 'a tourist trap ' for nearby visitors to the museums of South Kensington. In essence it hosts an expensive menu with average tasting food. I 'm sure they 're only surviving because of a guaranteed minimum level of customers who 'll unwittingly stroll in without heeding the warnings of these reviews. In the restaurant 's defence, the decor is homely and the service from staff is very attentive indeed I was asked by two separate staff during my meal whether everything was okay which felt a bit parental but mostly non threatening all the same. I 'd gone for the margherita pizza which at £7 seemed like a bargain. You could easily get full on this, despite tasting rather bland. However, I was feeling somewhat adventurous and decided to add pickled artichokes (nope, not fresh) and mushrooms as toppings for £1.50 extra each. Thinking this wouldn 't be enough, I included a side of spinach into the mix for £5: what I was served with was a small bowl of half boiled baby spinach leaves really should 've been another pizza topping as that 's what it turned into. Overall, disappointingly average, and they 'll include a service charge because they expect you to be one of many money donning tourists sprinkling cash in the already hideously wealthy area. Try your appetite resolving luck elsewhere."

Carluccio's

Carluccio's

Reuters Plaza, London, E145AJ, E1 6DZ, United Kingdom

Delis • Vegan • Italian • Vegetarian


"steady. carluccio in smithfield is like a back-up, a reasonable alternative for me when I close to smithfield or comptoir gascon and they are full for a woken breakfast / brunch. this is a quite common hesitation, as sos cg slide the scale higher and are more desirable due to the trendy, more prosperous masses that are more frequent this part of the city. but we should not think less of the local carluccio. it has been shown to Italian cafe food of a steady quality. yes, the deli items in front of the shop are overpriced, but there is a focus on regional specialities, and it is a convenient holding point for mozzarella, ricotta, parma ham, dried porcini, risotto rice, tinted fish and saffron if they cannot find it elsewhere. the inner of this branch is light and airy, with high ceilings and a very relaxed feeling, making it ideal for a long brunch with friends and some wash papers. Coffee and baked are decent, the full breakfast is not bad for £8.50 that contains coffee juice, plus it grilled pancetta instead of fat speck. nice! it is also one of the rare places in london that makes bicerin. there are no pizzas here, but the pasta is again decent. I like the ricotta spinat ravioli served simply in sage butter. pasta here is actually cooked to al dente. I also like their thick, peasy pasta e fagioli (pasta beane) but not so sharp on their meek-watery mushroom soup. the menu changes with the season and there are daily specialties that are for a chain, is nice to see."