Restaurants

A local institution in West Hampstead for some considerable time, La Brocca has all the hallmarks of a quintessential family Italian restaurant. Its ground-floor and dimly lit cavernous basement premises are plastered with jolly prints of old Italy and cluttered with tables sporting red-checked tablecloths – it’s all quite romantic in a distinctly Lady and the Tramp sort of way. The generous owner has a fondness for bringing out the shots, and there’s a separate bar area for pre-prandial drinks. With few of the dishes costing less than £10, the restaurant is definitely pitching itself as more than a typical local pizza and pasta joint. Sometimes it does manage to succeed: a shared starter of garlic bread pizza with artichokes, goat’s cheese, rocket and parma ham may have been rather let down by two unsightly and over-garlicky prawns, but tearing into the dish across the table did prove to be a real ice breaker. A special of perfectly pink duck breast with nicely textured saffron risotto, mangetout and red berry jus just about justified its fairly hefty price tag. Some of the other dishes we tried, including veal ravioli in a bland tomato and basil sauce, were decidedly disappointing. But the staff are always amiable, and the general atmosphere is jovial enough to make it well worth giving La Brocca a try.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009