Rossella – London

On a Saturday evening, after a sudden crave of Italian food, we decided to pay a visit to this little family restaurant located close to one of our favorite pubs in London, called Southampton Arms (Kentish Town area).

We made a reservation for a table around 7pm and arrived there right on time; the place was not particularly full, although many tables were already busy and that is always a good indication to begin with!
We ordered a bottle of Italian Red wine from Montepulciano (we did say it before that this would be quite a constant of our dining experience…) that was quite interesting, although with a very sweet aftertaste; given our hunger-level we decided to try out different dishes.

In all fairness, what we noticed immediately was that the price for each dish was very reasonable, especially for the London standard!
We ordered an Antipasto e two bruschetta as appetisers (yeah, we were quite hungry…).

Unfortunately, although the bruschetta was fairly good, the antipasto was a complete letdown: the ingredients were essentially all local, where local means possibly purchased in local supermarket (Tesco and company) and it was quite interesting to see a slice of chorizo in an Italian antipasto…

Nevertheless, we eagerly awaited for our main course. I went for a special of the day (being a seabream cooked “al cartoccio”), whilst my handsome husband went for a more traditional pizza quattro stagioni.
I have to be honest: after the antipasto I was a bit nervous about my main dish and so was my hubby; not to worry though, they were both good!

The fish had a good fresh flavour, fully kept in the way it was cooked, thanks to the actual “cartoccio” (i.e. the fish was cooked in the oven wrapped in silver foil, a very traditional way of cooking fish and seafood in Italy); I was pleasantly surprised by the actual taste and the disappointing appetisers experience was quickly forgotten. The sea bream was topped with sliced potatoes and it also contained dried prunes and olives.

On the pizza side, we had the same reaction: it was good, well composed and also well cooked. Let’s be honest: it’s not the pizza you can taste in the streets of Naples or in the best pizza restaurant of your childhood, but given the price it’s a valid and cheaper option, compared to other options that were disappointing and over-priced.

As an overall, the place will not provide you with an experience similar to what you might get in Italy, but it will indeed give you plenty of “family” vibe, considering also how many locals and how many people were very familiar with the staff. This has been a pleasant experience, made it even better by the prices, kept low and friendly and the quality of the mains. In our opinion, the reason behind the prices part, is mostly due to the fact that the restaurant is using local ingredients, without having to import anything: salami, mozzarella, olives, pretty much everything was coming from British supermarket (such as the aforementioned Tesco, etc.)

This restaurant is recommended for its low prices and it’s sense of community: it will not enter in any top 10 maybe, but it’s a valid and cheap alternative for a pleasant night out.

Food Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Value for Money: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Verdict: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Categories: London, Restaurant review, United Kingdom