47 Marsham Street,
Westminster,
London,
SW1P 3DR
(020) 3268 1077
The ViewLondon Review
Famed London restaurateur Claudio Pulze’s latest venue brings the flavours of Tuscany to the capital.
The Venue
Italian restaurant Osteria dell’Angolo is the latest from restaurateur Claudio Pulze. Located about a ten minute walk from St James’s Park tube station, there are a smattering of offices and shops nearby but otherwise the neighbourhood seems very residential. The restaurant has an old world feel, with a predominance of warm reds, oranges and yellows. Tables are well spaced, with crisp white tablecloths, and a large rectangular window provides a view into the kitchen area. The lounge bar area is a mix of dark brown wood and leather seats, which adds the feel of an old fashioned gentleman’s club.
The Atmosphere
Although the old fashioned decor might seem staid and formal, the atmosphere is relaxing. Expect to see everyone from couples on dates to small groups of families out for a catch-up, complete with a well-behaved child or two. Although it’s a small venue, it fills up nicely towards the end of the evening, providing a bit of a buzz without being overly crowded or noisy. Staff are professional and helpful without being intrusive.
The Food
The cuisine at Osteria dell’Angolo is inspired by Tuscany, the home of head chef Michele Brogi, and combined with classic and contemporary Italian dishes. The menu is large, and price varies depending on what you order, but starters range from £6 to £9 and mains range from £9.50 to £19. Depending on how you choose, you could have a filling three courses for less than £25. A five course tasting menu (plus coffee), called Degustazione della Mamma (Mother’s Tasting Menu), is also on offer. This menu is more rustic than the a la carte (sausage with beans, cod and potato) and priced reasonably at £36 – clearly Brogi’s Mamma knows the value of a pound.
A starter of hand cured meats with toasted bread (£8.50) has the right amount of salty chewiness, whilst the crispy bread adds a rough texture to the smooth slices of meat. White wine pasta with anchovies in a white bean soup (£7.50 for a starter, £11 for a main) isn’t actually a soup at all, but instead is a thoroughly delicious pasta dish. The noodles are thick and long, tangled together in a nest that rests on a sauce that manages to be both creamy and slightly rough, just like you’d imagine a true bean soup to be. Despite the anchovies, there’s only a slight, subtle hint of fish, a good balance to the beans and pasta.
From the choice of meat dishes, venison with dolce forte sauce and radicchio (£19.50) is a hearty dish, but the small portion keeps it from being too heavy. The venison is perfectly cooked, pink and tender, and the dolce forte sauce is a perfect match. It’s actually a chocolate sauce with a savoury edge – a good match to a meat that’s often paired with more sugary flavours. Salted cod on potato soup with onion rings and polenta (£18.50) is another surprising choice – onion rings at an upscale Italian restaurant? But they work well, the batter light, crisp and slightly sweet. The cod is served two ways, a pile of thinly sliced carpaccio and in little deep fried balls, whilst the polenta comes in a thick, cake-like slab. Cod is a substantial fish that can stand up to heavy accompaniments, but even still this inventive, nicely portioned course will leave you amazed how fried cod and onion rings can taste so delicate.
For dessert, creme caramel (£6) is piled high with a light, milky foam on top of a silky layer of custardy caramel. Doughnuts (£6.50) are more like macaroons than the fried, sugary concoction you might expect. The small, round doughnuts each contain a different filling, but are still not too heavy – they’re airy and so light they’re almost crisp. Oval scoops of cream and Nutella and black cherry ice cream are interspersed between the doughnuts, adding colour and a mix of childishness and sophistication to the dish.
The Drink
A massive wine list contains a large variety of bottles from Italy, with a couple of pages devoted altruistically to French wines. Although there’s a wide variety of prices, if the sight of a £931 wine (Barolo 1986 Bartolo Mascarello, albeit one in an unusual magnum size) is enough to cause heart palpitations, a long list of affordable choices are listed under the Credit Crunch section, from £16 to £35 a bottle.
Moscato d’Asti 2008 Vittorio Bera e Figli (£9 a glass) is a sweet sparkling wine that works perfectly as an aperitif but could also double as a dessert wine or digestif. Il Bosco di Gica Prosecco (£7.50 a glass) works well with the starter of cured meats, whilst the Le Vele Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico (£5.50 per glass) has a deep, smooth taste, a good match to the pasta. The crisp flavours of the 2006 Arakena Vermentino di Gallura (£13.50 a glass) complements the cod, whilst a glass of Tamara Cannonau di Sardegna (£7.50) is rich and full bodied, ideal for the venison.
The Last Word
Despite looking like a traditional Italian restaurant, the inventive food at Osteria dell’Angolo is anything but ordinary. If you’re tired of the same old pasta dishes that many other Italian restaurants provide, this is the place to try something new.
Osteria Dell'Angolo has been reviewed by 4 users