Locanda Locatelli

Following their renovation after a fire (you should really watch were you drop those cigarette butts) I decided to visit to see if the kitchen was still up to scratch following a necessary hasty departure from the premises by the cooks.  The new menu unfortunately was missing some of the favourites I had enjoyed on my last visit which were dishes that I had not seen elsewhere (and haven’t since) such as ox tail ravioli.  Given that on my last visit I had been granted a new perspective on Italian food, I entered with high hopes.

Almost as tall as the bread sticks.

Although if they were to be as deep as the bread tin remained to be seen.

The bread is my favourite part of LL.  Such a great variety of excellent bread.  I do not even know the names of half (actually I don’t know the correct name for any besides the focaccia). Although my lack of such knowledge did not stop me from enjoying the bread.

Linguine all’astice – linguine with lobster, tomato, garlic and chilli.  I particularly liked the artfully arranged lobster leg.  Just in case you forgot how much effort it was to shell the unwilling donor of the meat.  The pasta was cooked al dente and reminded me of what pasta is supposed to taste like, chewy to give you a bit of something to mull over.  As compared to my own feeble attempts when I tend to nuke the pasta into soft mashy noodles.  The lobster was likewise cooked, excellently retaining bounce combined with abundant taste.

Tagliatelle al ragu di capretto – pasta with kid goat ragu and chilli.  The pasta was again a star in the same way as the aforementioned lobster.  The goat thankfully seems to be helping me to overcome my trauma of goat related produce.  I remember a goat cheese I had one day.  It tasted almost as if you licked a goat.  The meat in this case had a pleasant gamey flavour (or maybe I am imagining it) as compared to lamb.  It must be from kid goats running free and happy under the sky.

Some onion ravioli thing.  Words fail me at this point.  Yes, I know that is rare, especially if you have met me in person.  So my pithy comment here is that it seemed good at least according to my fellow diner who ordered this but it was missing something for me….  Oh yes, meat.  She seemed to enjoy it though but I cannot really give an objective judgment (although all my opinions are highly subjective obviously, otherwise they wouldn’t be interesting to read).

Fondente di cioccolato bianco, cilege e gelato al croccantion – white chocolate fondant, Morello cherry filling, biscuit crumble and croccantion ice cream.  By consensus, this was the best of the desserts.  The white chocolate fondant tasted exactly like it sounds.  A thin casing barely able to dam in the delicious chocolate tide.  The ice cream was good too but the cherry filling seemed a bit overlooked as I stampeded for the chocolate.

Spuma di crema catalane e frutti di bosco – Catalan cream foam with berries and Catalan ice cream.  It looks big but it’s just full of air.  Kind of like some people I know.  It tasted good but lacked body.  Then again, that’s what foam is like!  I think the person that ordered this came away still feeling a bit hungry.

Tiramisu.  This substantial portion was full of one of my fellow diner’s favourite things.  Lots of alcohol.  Much merriment followed the ingestion of this dish by said person (no names here) as their conversation became more and more disinhibited.  Well, I have to thank this lovely little dessert for the uncovering of lots of interesting little tidbits.

Petit fours of marshmallow, almond biscuit and truffle.  The truffles were nice but a little drier than I would usually expect.  The almond biscuit was very almondy but it was the marshmallow which stole the show.  Its inflated size mislead me into thinking it lacked substance but upon biting in I was rewarded for my patience of leaving it last.  A lovely light flavour which managed to avoid the sickly sweetness of other marshmallows I knew.

Locanda Locatelli was a very pleasant affair.  The restaurant ambiance was lovely and peaceful and the dining room packed.  Although you wouldn’t have noticed that from the quick, efficient and unobtrusive service.  The dishes were interesting and showed me what good Italian food is really like, all at a fairly affordable price for dinner. Even if some of the dishes were not so much to my liking and the portions a little bit on the small side, the magnificent trove of bread helps to make up for this.  A place to remember for a peaceful and enjoyable meal with friends at a fair price.

A quiet eating 7/10.

Dinner (2 courses) was GBP 30 without service and drinks.

Locanda locatelli

8 Seymour St,
London W1H 7JZ