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Sartoria

Sartoria

20 Savile Row, Mayfair W1S 3PR, London, United Kingdom

Tea • Bars • Drinks • Italian


"We were the first table seated and the service was very prompt with catering to our needs. We had the octopus and scallops as a starter. About 5 minutes later food was out. The scallops out of the two dishes were the winner. Great depth of flavour great balance of salt to sweet to sour and the nduja added that hint of spice. The octopus was also good. Nice cook on the Octo and we'll balance I just felt it needed a bit more depth to hit the palate correctly. On to the mains but before that can someone please turn off the alarm from the staircase right beside us please, it's so Annoying. Wild boar Ragu for me and lobster for the Mrs. Again I chose the winning dish. The lobster dish was semi drowning in a water puddle of flavourful broth. We both wished they would of rendered/reduce, thicken that broth to make remove it from its homogeneous state. The Ragu the best of the two dishes wasn't wowsers but, still good. I would of loved a bit more acidity and a layer of fat left behind on my tongue. It was simple and nice which makes it a great dish. Tell you what doesn't make it a great dish when the staff is laying down the law to what seemed to be a new staff memember who decided to wear his own vest coat to work when he shouldn't have. We were the only ones in the restaurant so we were the only ones who witnessed it but, not the right time or place for it. After they sent him to the corner for timeout the staff brought out a nice mango dessert to excuse for the Loud beeping which had still been running loud throughout the whole service. Overall a decent meal you pay for the premium of the location. Would I come again, yes but with a game plan and an extra vest coat"

Portobello Garden

Portobello Garden

269B Portobello Road, London, W111LR, W11 1LL, United Kingdom

Cafés • Pasta • Pizza • Italian


"first thought when going in portobello garden arcade: we will really fit here. before they visit, foresight: the place is tiny, and fills quite quickly. when they wait for a table, they are condemned to stand outside; it could not be exactly what they hope, unless it is the middle of the summer. the good news is that they may not have to wait so long: this is a restaurant that attracts far larger quantities and queues when it was a bit bigger, or easier to see from the main road. at the moment it could be one of the best secrets of the portobello road; so well maintained, I recently discovered it, although I have lived in the opposite for three years. I visited the week before Christmas and found the place decorated with panettone and pandoro boxes everywhere. they even hang on the deck. woah', said the three colleagues with whom I was together, that is so pretty. woah', I said, are the ones for sale. I have turned my eyes off before the cake-yellow sandwiches have entered, but contradictory attempt is not an option in it: it was not long before I discovered the counter at the bottom of the room, where most of the if they are not hungry when they get in, they will be at the time they order./ encouraged by what I had just seen, I thought that I had the mozzarella, prosciutto, rakete and carasau brotplatte (simply, but fulfilling, a reliable favorit of me) or a shining, mozzarella and aubergine sandwich with promising. it was an ice age free day, but I went for a warm, hearty head: wild boar ravioli, from the daily special menu./ the ravioli came with much rich, smooth tomato sauce. they can hardly go wrong with pasta with sauce, but that was the superpowerful type. I could hardly taste the meat that felt disappointing, as the filling is the best part of a ravioli recipe for me. I loved the smoked ricotta dip, although: I don't often see that enough in london. I would smoke on all my pasta stuff if I could find a load that sells it. I should have asked where they come from, damned./ one of my colleagues ordered kartoffelgnocchi with bark meat ragù. he was impressed by the gnocchi; not so much with the spicing what he claimed to miss a kick. even from outside it looked overly rich in tomatenpassata and poor in bark. the meat was cut into large pieces, and, as I said, a bit too fat for a sauce ingredient./ another colleague ordered oktopussalat and was very happy with it. she can't eat gluten, so she gave us that side bread. we were fast to sneak it, and my enthusiasm over warm brot was quickly faded, as I realized it was garlic bread. I don't know who has spread the word that garlauchbrot is unmistakable italian, but that must stop now. Garlauchbrot is not a thing; simple brot that we can dive in olive oil (which is also on the menu, by the way), served with a kind of spread, ot is just eating on own faust, we rub garlic on bread, sometimes but that is to make bruschetta, which is a completely different thing. no more demanding Italian I know how garlic bread. some do not even know that it exists because they bless, they have never eaten the restitution of the British food./ total: portobello garden arcade makes more convincing eating than the average cheap Italian restaurant in london, but their dishes could be much closer to what they would actually eat in italia. I could be disappointed; I don't choose to be. I went for a decent, warm, hearty eating and got exactly that as well as a mood boost thanks to the warm, lively atmosphere of the restaurant. I wouldn't mind coming back and trying another court."

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!"

Essenza

Essenza

210 Kensington Park Road Notting Hill Gate London, W11 1NR, 03710, United Kingdom

Pasta • Pizza • Italian • Seafood


"Service, service, service.... The treatment we received was efficient, bordering on surley. No time to crack a smile or answer a question. Some of the food was good. The tunna carpaccio was on point, though wanting for a drizzle of oil. A second course of lobster ravioli served as a main, rather than the second starter I asked for, my companion called “school canteen” food, tough packets of lobster flavoured gunk, more in common with packet ravioli from tesco’s than the lose, silky, self evidently hand made parcels of fresh crustacean I was hoping for. The butter and sage sauce was nowhere to be seen, I believe there were chopped tomatoes instead. The veal was good, sadly not to be had, as promised on line, with capers. The side of beans was as confronting as our server it was so al dente. A bowl of freshly grated parmisan left on our table by another server was a benediction. The bill: £82 change our drinks were a smallish a bottle of sparking water at nearly £5. I had worked out the costing of this meal based on the menu posted online at around £55 60 for actual food drink items. Apparently the new post Brexit/covid/war prices haven't made it on line yet the ravioli main course has gone up from £20 to £26. Even with the 15% service charge we could not have anticipated spending £82 on three plates, a side a bottle of water. Though I specified I wanted the plates in succession making the ravioli a second course before the main as pasta should be in Italy, the two plates were brought together as two mains, not what I had hoped for fair enough, it was after nine by the time we walked in, however it would have been nice to be asked before the chef/server took the executive role for us. With £90 in cash on the table the prevalent attitude was the balance would be a tip on top of the service charge. 25% for service? Possibly ok, if it was pleasant: that we had to ask for our change tells you about the service put a sour note on top of an already kinda dismal meal. I rarely eat out, this was my special treat place, I live around the corner. I thought I was so clever bringing a guest here, the experience was significantly different from the last few times (incidentally, I’ve always sat outside in the past and it’s cramped inside I ended up feeling embarrassed sad. I don't think I’ll be back soon. Here’s to cooking at home. :"

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."