26 Ludgate Hill,
St Pauls,
London,
EC4M 7DR
0872 148 3732
The ViewLondon Review
Stand on the steps of St Paul’s with your back to the cathedral, walk straight on for 50 yards and you reach Perc%nto, a smart, modern Italian restaurant keeping slick City folk happy with good food and excellent service.
Enter via the golden-walled ground floor bar which doubles up as a restaurant at lunchtimes. But it’s down the twirling, perspex stairs that you’ll find the less serious main restaurant dominated visually by terracotta, turquoise and mustard high-backed seats set amongst white linen-dressed tables.
To the right, an incongruously Novotel-like corridor leads to four private dining rooms. Strange, at least until you learn that above Perc%nto is an American-owned private hotel whose guests regularly use the restaurant and meeting facilities. Everybody looks happy. Must be all that mon%y they made back at the office that morning…
First to try from Valentino Bosch’s tempting menu is the grilled king scallops on an avocado, lettuce and apple salad with Ceasar dressing (£9.50). (How much nicer again does it sound in Italian? Capesante grigliate con lattuga, mele e avocado salsa Cesare; I want to eat the very words…) Fresh and tasty, especially the dried apple slices, it was let down a little by the (bottled?) dressing.
Secondi piatti was a hearty bouillabaisse of squid, mussels, prawns, scallops and seabream, with a slice of polenta, crunchy mange tout and some potato crostini for good measure (£15.80). “How’s your beef with fresh English mustard?” I ask my companion. “Delish,” comes the reply.
And finally dessert. Mamma mia! What a heavenly balancing act of subtley sweet ‘n’ zesty lemon cream layered between perfectly crispy millefeuille crowned with fresh raspberries (£5.50). If I’d known how good it was I’d have ordered it for all three courses…
”How’s your cheese and biscuits?,” I ask my companion. “Delish,” comes the reply.
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