6 Foster Lane,
The City,
London,
EC2V 6HH
(020) 7600 7776
The ViewLondon Review
Delicious Italian food can be found all over London, and so Rucola does well to stand up to the rest of them with its menu of modern yet classic Italo cuisine. It’s just such a shame that Rucola finds itself fighting to find footfall by night, located in peaceful St. Paul’s.
The Venue
St. Paul’s Cathedral is just over the road, and being a mere walking distance from the One New Change shopping centre, as well as the high-rise office blocks of the City, Rucola should be a prime location for hungry punters. But it’s not the easiest venue to clock at a distance: tucked behind a shiny building complex and next door to historical St. Leonard’s church on a street typical of St. Paul’s, where old juxtaposes new. The set-up indoors is clean and classic. The narrow restaurant hosts small tables topped with crisp, white tablecloths and the plain, white walls hold a few simple paintings and mirrors. This simple black and white décor carries on upstairs on Rucola’s mezzanine floor, a small, sophisticated area ideal for private parties, whose glass ceiling makes for a light and spacious feel.
The Atmosphere
Rucola will no doubt attract slick, suited City workers with its smart, classical décor and refined menu of Italian eats. But despite boasting a heaving restaurant floor at the lunchtime rush, Rucola is all-quiet by night, due to the constraints of its location. Staff work around this issue with aplomb, welcoming you but keeping enough distance so as not to make it too claustrophobic when you may well be dining alone.
The Food
Expect Italian fine-dining at Rucola; a venue where pizza is a bad word. Instead, the menu focuses on meat and pasta mains and seafood specialities.
Carpaccio di manzo Scozzese (£7) with rocket and parmesan shavings is a good example of how well-sourced the meat is at Rucola, with melt-in-the-mouth Scottish beef carpaccio taking centre stage in this simple, if slightly under-seasoned starter dish. Deliciously fresh seafood is also cooked to perfection, with calamari fritti con salsa picante (£7) delicately tender. The batter is a little flat, but the dish is completed by a tangy and coarse, tomato, chilli and red pepper sauce that works really well.
The star on the pasta and risotto menu is extra large duck ravioli with butter and sage (£7 with a £3 surcharge for main course), a homemade pasta dish, with a herby, duck paste filling. Although this option only comprises three ravioli, these are sizeable, and covered in a rich and filling buttery sauce. Abbacchio al forno (£17.50) is a delicious and perfectly pink rack of lamb with a red wine reduction. Served with crisp, sautéed potatoes, this is a pleasing dish, but will definitely benefit from a side order of the fresh vegetables on offer. Vegetarian selections are short on the ground, but with options such as parmigiana di melanzane (£10.50) or gnocchi di patate al gorgonzola (£6, with a £3 surcharge for main course), veggies shouldn’t be too disappointed.
No Italian menu would be up to scratch without tiramisu on its pages. Thank goodness, then, for classic tiramisu (£7), which is creamy, with layers of soft sponge packing a coffee punch. Panna cotta (£7) is just as good for pudding fiends, with the perfect amount of wobble and a deliciously sweet vanilla aftertaste.
The Drink
Unlike your typical classic Italian ristorante, Rucola serves up wines from around the world, though the majority of the bin-ends are from Italia. The Angelo Nero d’Avola (£16) is an example of how full-bodied Italian reds should be. Also of note is the ‘fine and rare’ selection of wines, with bottles ranging all the way up to £170 for a 2000 vintage Amarone della Valpiocella Classico, if you’re really looking to impress. But don’t worry, the standard wine list prices bottles from a more reasonable £14 up to £60. The dessert wines menu is well-rounded with six different tipples to tickle your fancy after dinner. Or for an alternative take on the digestif, there is also a range of grappas on the menu, starting at £4 a glass. And of course, for the more civilised punter, teas and coffees can be partaken at a mere £2-£3.
The Last Word
Rucola does well to offer up such sophisticated Italian treats at a reasonable price, and certainly has a menu that caters well for the surrounding City workers out to impress. If only this restaurant were more busy by night time, when it would surely make for a great spot to wine and dine.
Rucola has been reviewed by 2 users