When I leave the office on Fridays, I’m always excited about the possibilities of the upcoming weekend. And the best way to start the weekend, in my opinion, is to have drinks and dinner with Jon.
Last Friday was Jon’s turn to plan our weekly “date night.” We met at a bar after work, and Jon announced we were going to L’Anima, which I’d heard of, but had no idea where it was located. Imagine my surprise to find it was near Liverpool Street station, about five minutes’ walk from my office. So it was like going back to work, pretty much, which was a bummer. I tried not to hold L’Anima’s location against it, but really, who wants to leave work on Friday and then end up eating dinner a stone’s throw away? Plus, while L’Anima’s sleek, all-white interior is lovely to look at, the views of the EDF office across the way (whose decor would be charitably described as utilitarian) didn’t bring to mind carefree glamour.
Luckily, Jon knows me well, and I was able to forget the whole location-near-my-office thing once our starters arrived. You see, part of the reason we were at L’Anima was so I could order the fritto misto. A year ago, we were in Venice and I was scarfing down as much fritto misto as humanly possible, and since then, I have craved that type of high-quality, fried seafood bounty. L’Anima’s version really does live up to the hype. There was a good variety of seafood in there (whole prawns, softshell crab, calamari, fish) and everything was crispy, grease-free and perfectly salted. Definitely worth the £14.25.
Our pasta courses were slightly less appealing. Jon’s pappardelle with a duck ragu and pistachios (£11) was too intense. I hardly tasted anything except salt, which was a shame considering the luscious texture of the pappardelle.
And whenever I see a pasta with garlic, chilli and crab, I can’t resist ordering it. L’Anima’s version was served, inexplicably, with a ton of dill mixed in. It was overpowering. And it doesn’t help that I really dislike dill. So despite the generosity of crab meat and the wonderful al dente taglierini in this dish, it was hard for me to finish it. For £17.50, I expected a lot better. (Which means I’ll stick with the version served at Olivo in Belgravia, then. It’s so good there that occasionally I forgo their creamy-fishy spaghetti bottarga to have the linguine al granchio, which seems like a bargain now at £14.50).
Jon’s grilled sea bream (£16) tasted like summertime, with a smoky charred skin and a silky, firm flesh. Simple and good.
Although we were stuffed, the three-cheese plate for £10 seemed too good a deal to pass up. The generosity of pecorino, taleggio and gorgonzola were a nice way to end our meal.
Overall, I’d go back to L’Anima (especially for that fritto misto), but next time, I’ll skip the pastas. With a £30 bottle of an easy-drinking soave, our bill totaled £115 for two.
L’Anima, 1 Snowden Street, EC2A 2DQ, 020 7422 7000; closest Tube station: Liverpool Street Station.
That Fritto Misto looks sensational – probably worth eating there for that alone.
Thanks for the review. By the way, in Venzezia, the best fritto misto I’ve had is at Fiaschetteria Toscana. It is owned by friends of Marcella Hazan, and is a great & classy place.
All the best,
LF
mann… if an italian restaurant can’t do pasta right there is certainly something wrong. The frito misto looks the dogs bollox though!
Eeek. I’m eating here in a few weeks. Now you’ve got me worried about the pasta. Should I avoid them entirely?
I wasn’t too impressed with one of L’Anima’s pasta dishes at Taste London. That fritto misto does look amazing though.
Yes, that pasta dish at Taste of London was really rather boring. To be honest, it just seemed really out of place with all the more interesting dishes on offer. We also thought it lacked seasoning but clearly they are a bit erratic with their seasoning if the papardelle was inedible.
GC – Yes, that’s exactly right.
Laissez Faire – thanks for the tip, though what an odd name for a Venetian fish place.
gen.u.ine.ness – I have to say, that’s some fabulous slang. I would never have thought calling something the dog’s bollocks was a good thing. lol.
HYLP – the pastas were perfectly textured, but I didn’t like the two we happened to order. Try some of the other pastas and let me know how it goes.
Lizzie – ahh, they were at Taste of London? Good to know. They should have offered their fritto misto . . . crowds would’ve been pounding down their door, then.
Helen – Jon finished off his pappardelle, so I can’t say it was inedible. But for me, it was much too salty. And I think if the kitchen had held off the dill on my crab pasta and boosted the spice, I would’ve enjoyed my pasta as well. Still, at these prices, it’s hard to be anything but tough when it comes to pasta. It’s not as if I can’t make excellent pasta at home, after all.
[…] L’Anima’s heavenly fritto misto pulled me in twice in a month. For £14.25, you’re served a massive plate of fresh seafood, battered and fried in the lightest, crispiest, grease-free way possible. It’s like taking a trip to Venice, but 5,000% cheaper. […]
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The sea bream looks amazing. The papperdalle also looks good… shame it wasn’t though!
I am not crazy about dill either. Shame a lot of restaurants feel obliged to smother every fish recipe in it.
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