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Princi
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© Rob Greig
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By Jenni Muir
Four gold Chinese statuettes stand discreetly above the coffee-making alcove in Soho’s new bakery-café Princi, offshoot of an esteemed Italian chain. Do they have these in Princi’s original Milanese outlets? You can’t blame Alan Yau for wanting a little feng shui-style luck on his side. Best known for his wildly successful Asian eateries, his previous attempt at an Italian restaurant was the short-lived Anda on Baker Street back in 2003 (it’s now the much-loved Galvin Bistro de Luxe).
Yau’s grasp of Italian cuisine is not an issue here, for this new spot is a joint venture with Rocco Princi, sometimes called ‘the Armani of bread’. They clearly have great empathy with each other, and Armani, on the design front: Princi is a veritable symphony of beige. Despite a 19-metre water feature (more feng shui?) that at best evokes a spa, at worst an expensive urinal, it has that wonderfully sophisticated informality that has made Busaba Eathai such a treasure. And while extensive use of soothing limestone makes the hard surfaces of the modernist interior cosy, the expanse of glass cabinets displaying good things to eat – cakes, pizza, salads, hot meals – makes it irresistible.
Best of all the prices are very kind and sensibly on par with the food quality. Those custard-filled cannoncini are not 80p each but 80p for three. Same with the cookies. If our dish of chicken cacciatora was typical, it was almost enough to feed two, especially once you factor in the slices of bread included in the smart black-and-white paper bag holding napkin and bamboo cutlery. Get a side dish like the potato gratin, polenta or zucchine fritte and you have a feast.
The problem (leaving aside nabbing a seat during busy periods) is getting your meal together from the various counters before it turns cold. We waited so long for coffee that by the time we sat down our lasagne was tepid. Sensibly staff are making sure there are plenty of tasters available on the bakery counter to keep punters amused while they wait for service, who we have found on several visits to be friendly, intelligent and patient with all those people who invariably suffer option paralysis at the crucial point of ordering.
While Britain’s artisan bakers might look enviously on Princi’s decor and queues of customers, they need not panic about quality. Our loaf of rye bread was disappointing – when we finally made it through the tough crust there were huge, irregular holes in the crumb (normally the result of poor kneading). The American tart (based on cinnamon and nuts) was dry, and the apple Charlotte gummy. Still, there are plenty of restaurants who’d happily charge £6-£8 for the lush chocolate and coffee mousse that Princi sells for just £3.50.
In Italy Princi is open 24 hours a day. The London store is open until midnight and Yau’s team hope that in due course they’ll be able open earlier in the morning – around 7am. For breakfast, for lunch, during shopping, after work, after theatre, post-pub, post-cinema – London, you’ve just found your new favourite pit stop.Time Out London Issue 1996: November 20-26
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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This place has nothing on Ciao Bella which has amazing food, is cheap and the staff are crazy fun. This latest time out review is poor. What about Chilli Cool near Russle Sq or Hot Stuff in Vauxhall??
I been here a handful of times and each time i tell myself not to go back. Hopefully writing this will confirm it in my mind. The bread's bland as hell and the sweet bits i've tried have been a big let down too.
I also have to say the crowd who hang out here look a soulless bunch and the staff are way too dry. That's all.
Must not go back, must not go back....
Christin, sadly your experience is all too common and we have returned several times and the service is classic Italian style: it seems like the staff are in competiton with each other to see who can ignore the next customer the most! I'm just amazed you bothered returning 10 times: they don't deserve us!
The place looks great, but the service is not... I've been in at least 10 times and the staff are never friendly, never smile and indifferent. Won't really be going back, a shame as the food is tasty.
Just a correction: the cannoncini are 80 p each, not 80 p for three.
I like Princi. The place is gorgeous, the food is very reasonably priced, and that the service is generally good, except for a couple of servers such as the one who, when I asked where I was supposed to collect my coffee, said "I'll give you one guess." For an Italian joint, I was rather surprised by the poor quality of the cappuccino.
Great concept and lovely food with lots of flavour - one of the things all so often missing in so many ove-styled restaurants in London.
Overall very friendly service, though we did come across one or two of these typically annoying Italian waitresses who think of their workplace as a stage for themselves ... self-loving attitude instead of customer service.
Will be there again!
yum yum yum. great concept, and so obvious in retrospect. going back very soon.
This place is an absolute gem! Serves the best hot chocolate, not only in London but I'm going put it out there... the WORLD. for any chocoholic or chocolatier, this is an absolute must-try. Beware to fall, hook, line and sinker in love with this place!
Your review is very accurate. We had much the same experience on saturday 25th november after the theatre- the whole place was packed, long queues, cashier ran out of money-!!!! Had to go next door for some change! At one point, there was no one at the bar taking any orders, whilst we all stood very patiently watching our food go cold and amusing ourselves with the girl under the golden Budhhas cleaning her coffee machine very thoroughly....Nowhere to perch or sit once we escaped the hurdles of choice and payment. Never mind customers facing 'Option paralysis' whilst choosing food- that is only half the game upon entering this Italian experience in how -not- to -eat- seating options paralysis' would be a novel experience at Princis....Food was tepid when we finally got to eat it around half an hour after arrival. We did like most of the food, although some of the Pizza was definitely chewy and underbaked and the pistachio mousse cake was positively horrid. The mozzarrella and tom mix was yummy and we liked the breads and the coffee mugs were an essential- stay warm plastic see-thru- nice one Princis- were you anticipating the chaotic opening?Oh and very important - you forgot to mention that THEY DON'T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS!! And is it aesthetically pleasing to eat one's food- if you ever get to do this in Princis- underneath what suggests a flowing urinal? We are returning next weekend for lunch with other friends just to see how entertaining the bad Italian service can be- who said it is a National Sterotype.
Fantastic, nothing matches it. This must be the future of the restaurant business - modest pricing, terrific food, wonderful interior, excellent service, high level of business.