cherries in ice water at Bocca di Lupo
Surely I’m the last one in the London food blog community to make it to Bocca di Lupo. But it’s not for lack of trying. I’d heard the place served mid-priced, high-quality Italian cooking. So *of course* I’d tried multiple times to get a booking. I was always negged, though. Clearly no mojo.
Finally, last Wednesday, my friends Shamini, Fabrizio dell Amore (seriously, that’s what he wants to be called) and I showed up without a booking and managed to snag seats at the Barrafina-like bar.
Even at 10 pm, the place was still packed, noisy and fun.
The service took a while to get going: we asked at least three times to have our order taken. But then things on the service front were all good from there. Everyone at Bocca di Lupo was responsive to feedback, and Shamini managed to charm a little back-and-forth with our server (you know the type of friend I’m talking about, don’t you?), so we ended the evening with at least three freebies thrown in. Nothing high-ticket, but gestures go a long way to making customers feel valued.
lamb prosciutto at Bocca di Lupo
bocconcino at Bocca di Lupo
For starters, we had a lamb prosciutto, which, while a bit dry, was saved by the excellent accompanying pecorino. Fried mozzarella balls (bocconcini) were creamy and almost-sweet inside; lightly breaded and golden brown on the outside. Really, an outstanding example of its kind for £8, and the start of a trend: all fried foods that night at Bocca di Lupo were excellent.
Crudita di mare was also the start of a trend: that seafood was generally so-so value. The raw scallop was sweet, but creamy in a not-so fresh way, and it was too much money at £9.50 a portion.
grilled pork chop at Bocca di Lupo
Shamini’s quail (£16) was outstanding – tasting like the juicy little poultry it should be. Fabrizio’s pork chop was over-cooked and under-cooked in various places, and generally bland. I wouldn’t recommend it, though he did complain to the chef, who then gave him Freebie 1 of the evening, which was delish: a beautifully-crisped and grease-free fried pastry filled with more creamy cheese and served with a fluffy ball of burrata (understandably the cheese du jour). The accompanying paper-thin slices of spicy salami were icing on the cake.
stuffed tomatoes and sardines
My main of baked sardines and tomatoes could’ve been served hotter and crispier. And sardines were a bit overwhelmed by the breadcrumbs, which was sad. Overall, the dish was OK, so £14 seemed a bit much.
Because the spring pea starter we ordered was taking ages to prepare, the chef comped us Freebie 2 of the evening: a dish of buttery, thin-sliced, grilled courgettes, which you really can’t go wrong with, seeing as how butter + thinly-sliced anything = tastiness.
When the spring peas arrived, they were worth the wait. Sweet and firm. Not a mealy, flavorless one to be found. Totally worth the £7.50. I know. I’ve shelled peas from the farmer’s market enough times to know how time consuming it is to get a good yield!
torta caprese at Bocca di Lupo
By the time we reached desserts, Bocca di Lupo had run out of donuts (SAD). But our server recommended the torta caprese, which was a good choice. It tasted like a lemon pound cake layered with an almond chocolate cake, and the genius was having the tart citrus complement the nutty sweetness. Cool.
Despite my skepticism, though, the dessert of the evening was Fabrizio’s choice: cherries in ice water (pictured at top). I mocked him for ordering fruit in a bowl of ice. But this generous serving of deep burgundy cherries was outstanding. Firm, deeply sweet cherries served icy cold. A great value for £6.50.
pig's bloog and chocolate pudding
Shamini, continuing to use her magical charm powers, convinced our server to offer Freebie 3 of the evening: the pigs’ blood and chocolate pudding. We each took a scoop to try it out. And you know, I can’t say I’m a fan. The chocolate was extra creamy, but it had that mineral tang that signals blood is in there. No thanks. The dried orange peel and pine nuts that had gone soft in the fridge didn’t help. Glad we tried it, but nothing I’d order again.
With a carafe of inexpensive wine, we paid £38 per person for an enormous, fun and generally-tasty meal. I can’t say I got super excited about many of the dishes there, though the fried foods and the puddings were especially strong suits. For the service and atmosphere alone, I’d go back. Overall, Bocca di Lupo deserves its popularity.
Bocca di Lupo, 12 Archer Street, W1D 7BB; 0207 734 2223; closest tube station: Piccadilly Circus
I’ve only been once so far, for lunch, and hope to go back again soon to try more small-sized dishes. I had the grilled pork chop, which was delicious for the most part. However, it was completely raw around the bone, because it was such a thick piece of meat. When I pointed it out to the waiter, he told the chef, and we were offered a complimentary pudding as a nice gesture.
I’ve still not been here. It sounds like they need to sort their chops out!
It’s a decent place, but I thought all those stellar reviews when it opened rather overstated how good it is. It sounds like you agree.
I still haven’t been either so it seems you are not the last to visit. The uncooked pork chop may be a regular occurence then going by helen’s comment! It does seems bit over rated to me I must say.
So this Shamini….does she have a blog of her own where she reveals her “magical charm powers” ?
HYLP – Nice to know Bocca di Lupo has responded so graciously to feedback on other occasions.
Lizzie – Yes, I guess we should wonder why they keep the pork chop on the menu if there are (seemingly) problems with cooking it through while retaining its juiciness.
Ollie – The food wasn’t uniformly wonderful, but I think BdL’s success is due more to the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone there, along with the reasonable prices and the central location. It’s tough finding that combination of qualities in London, especially for Italian food. There were enough good dishes that I’d go back, but I think it’s fair to say that the market is ripe for competitors in the mid-range Italian field.
Helen – It’s all about lowering expectations, perhaps. To date, I can’t think of any other mid-range Italians I’ve really enjoyed (Olivo in Belgravia is the closest I can come up with, and even that can get pricey enough to not count as mid-range anymore).
Sss – no, Shamini does not have a blog but I assure you she’s tres charmante. As an aside, I’m pretty sure my friends hate dining out with me and my constant refrain of: “wait, let me take a quick photo before you eat” habit.
[...] I was at Bocca di Lupo a year ago, I had a lot of fun, but the service and food were a mixed bag. I left thinking that while I [...]