Restaurants

Fronted by a delicatessen ideally placed for City lunch hours, Carnevale offers inspiring vegetarian sandwiches such as baba ganoush, manchego or halloumi, alongside an array of store-cupboard deli items. The compact restaurant, with skylit extension prettified by hanging flowers, is much quieter in the evenings and attracts young couples and suits from nearby offices. From a broadly Mediterranean menu, a starter of artichokes stuffed with walnuts, lemon and parsley proved a delectable combination of flavours. The waitress was working her second day on our visit and couldn’t answer questions about the menu, but was perfectly polite; she helped us warm to the place by bringing a bread basket with fragrantly grassy olive oil for dipping. Main courses seem slightly overpriced at £11.50. Fennel potato cakes sat incongruously on a portion of provençal vegetable casserole, but a wild mushroom risotto with chestnut purée was satisfyingly savoury. The wine list (excepting the dessert wines) is organic and includes Sedlescombe from Sussex. Unusual aperitifs and digestifs (Isle of Skye single malt, Basque pacharán) provide added interest.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008