Restaurants

By Charmaine Mok

The best thing about this new Italian two-part eatery, created by Francesco Mazzei (chef of Time Out award-winning L’Anima) and Linda Yau (sister of restaurateur Alan) is the design.

David Archer Architects were behind the short-lived Aaya in Soho, and also worked on Hakkasan and Busaba Eathai – all Yau family projects. The connecting spaces that hold the ice-cream parlour on one side and the sandwich bar on the other are a lovely vision of urban rusticity – a mix of oak, polished white surfaces and mirrors.

It may look good, but in gastronomic terms, Mazzei and Yau may need to go back to their blueprints, because our food just wasn’t up to scratch.

Despite claiming to be a ‘focacceria’, a bland selection of filled sandwiches (chicken and lettuce, mozzarella and tomato) took a back seat to giant bowls of pesto-splashed aubergine (underseasoned and undercooked), broccoli (tough stalks) with almonds and chilli, pesto pasta (thankfully, a flavoursome dish with punchy capers, olives and sundried tomatoes), and spicy baked chicken drumsticks.

Everything is pricey, and the several dishes we tried were all uninspiring; our spinach quiche tasted of egg and little else.

We avoided the cramped focacceria and moved to the empty and spacious gelateria for scoops of consolatory ice-cream. A striking score of flavours winked at us (blueberry, pomegranate, pear), as varied and creative a palette as found in London’s best parlours – such as Scoop in Covent Garden or Gelato Mio in Holland Park.

But like the food, the flavours we tried – coconut, pistachio, panna cotta with sour cherries – were all muted. Disappointing.

Time Out London Issue 2043: October 15-21 2009