Italian Dining at Ristorante Cappuccetto
Last weekend, it was my birthday and we celebrated at Ristorante Cappuccetto, a lovely Italian restaurant in central London. It was a lovely sunny day and we were looking forward to our meal.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by the friendly staff and offered a glass of bubbly. We were then served a basket with homemade bread with olive oil and balsamic.
Ristorante Cappuccetto offers two different menus at lunch time: Chef’s Specials of the Day with a selection of starters and main courses, and Cicchetti Menu with small Italian dishes, similar to Spanish tapas.
The staff was very accommodating with little man’s meal, making a dish especially for him. He was served “Scialatielli al pomodoro con gamberi”, Scialatielli pasta with tomato sauce and prawns, which he really enjoyed.
We decided to order a selection of dishes from the Cicchetti Menu so we could share between ourselves. From the Cold dishes, we ordered “Sfoglia di mozzarella ripiena” which is mozzarella stuffed with rocket and Parma ham – it was very tasty!
From the Pasta dishes, we picked “Scialatielli con pancetta croccante, castagne e porcini”, a lovely Scialatielli pasta with crispy pancetta, chestnuts and porcini mushrooms. The pasta was cooked to right texture and the pancetta and mushrooms complimented the dish well.
From the Fish dishes, we picked two different plates: “Filetto di Spigola con carpaccio di zucchini marinate”, Fillet of Sea Bass with marinated carpaccio courgettes. The sea bass was tender and full of flavour, it was my favourite dish!
We also chose “Rana pescatrice con salsa di pachino”, Monkfish in sweet baby plum tomato sauce with garlic, thyme, caper and black olives. The monkfish was delicious and it worked well with the contrast of the sweet tomato sauce and olives.
From the Meat section, we also picked two lovely dishes: “Polpette di coniglio con purea di carote”, rabbit meatballs with carrot puree and dried celery. The carrot puree was beautifully seasoned and it was one of the best purees we’ve ever tried. We nearly licked the plate as the dish was so tasty! It was hubby’s favourite dish.
The other meat dish was “Cotoletta di costata d’agnello al profumo di finocchietto selvatico”, lamb escallops with fennel pollen breadcrumb and grilled artichokes. Instead of grilled artichokes, it was served with courgettes and a yogurt and mint sauce. The lamb was cooked to perfection and the whole dished worked really well.
We also had a side salad, “Insalata di rucola, noci e fave”, rocket salad with walnuts, broad beans and aged ricotta with lime dressing. The salad was lovely and complimented the other dishes.
After our lovely meal, we were given the Chef’s Dessert of the Day menu with a selection of Italian desserts to die for, from simple dairy and fruit-based desserts to elegant, artisan pastries made with almond, mascarpone, vanilla and coffee.
Hubby picked “Caprese”, traditional chocolate and almond cake served warm with hazelnut ice cream. Hubby liked the contrast of the warm cake with the cold ice cream, the nutty ice cream with the chocolatey cake. The flavours worked nicely on the plate!
Little man picked Dessert Special, which was a sponge cake with mascarpone and strawberry, served with raspberry and cream. The sponge cake was light, and it was complimented by the creamy mascarpone and fruity strawberry.
I picked “Pistachio Panacotta” which had a layer of dark chocolate and pistachios on top. The panacotta was creamy and full of flavour. It was a lovely surprise that it arrived with a birthday candle!
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal in a relaxing atmosphere, we stayed at Ristorante Cappuccetto for a couple of hours and had a lovely Sunday afternoon. The staff was friendly and helpful, we were very impressed with the service and quality of the food.
Ristorante Cappuccetto is highly recommended for a lovely meal in the heart of London!
We visited Ristorante Cappuccetto for review purposes. However the opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.
