L'Anima

L'Anima, Italian for soul or so they tell you, well the food had it in spades from the daintily pickled veg to the herbacious and creamy Robiola cheese and jelly combo, BUT the space itself is a disaster. Apparently designed by the same chap who does Armani stores (but clearly without the budget - ungrouted walls of tiles in the bathrooms is unacceptable at this price point) it is a cold glass and stone box that has absorbed far too much of its city surroundings.

Rather than the decor being dictated by the food - as it should be, the hard modernity of the design overwhelms the genuinely special food. That said the portions are small (another contradiction, shouldn't authentic regional and rustic Italian food come in equally honest portions?) and the prices soon rack up. The staff (of whom there are too few) were attentive and warm to a fault but were clearly equally frustrated by the gap between aspiration and reality.

Highly recommended for the set lunch but avoid dinner unless money is plentiful
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lex - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Saturday, July 19, 2008

I took some clients one evening. We stayed in the Bar area which was very attractive,and had some upscale drinks and nibbles.However,along came this guy and 2 small kids who took over the 2 couches.The kids (under 5 yrs old) proceeded to run around screeching, wailing and generally misbehaving. Now I didn't think kids were allowed in a bar, and in a classy place that is aiming for upscale City types, this was frankly awful. I remarked to the staff who told me that the guy with the kids was the chef/owner, so I did not pursue as I did not want to embarrass a guy in front of his kids. But mate, you have to decide if you want to run a family trat where the kids run around and everyone shouts at each other as part of the "atmosphere" - in this case you should NOT locate the restaurant in the City, and you should not charge these prices. If you want a high-end restaurant,then keep your kids at home with the mamma, and don't bring them to play in the restaurant. Won't be going back!
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Went for lunch at this recently opened Italian. Our table for 4 was ready and we were warmly welcomed.The restaurant is modern and beautifully laid out. The wine list is very good with some excellent and difficult to find Italian wines. The menu is full of enticing dishes that you won't find elsewhere. A wide choice of breads made fresh on the prmises is offered as well as delicious huge olives.

We had the fish fritto misto as a starter-full of wonderfully fresh, lightly fried, different kinds of fish and zucchini sticks; crab and avocado deconstructed with sardinian wafers. For mains the tagliolini pasta with porcini mushrooms and shaved summer truffles was scarfed down. The risotto with zucchini flowers and sicilian shrimps met a similar fate. My beef tagliata served with the marrow bone and italian puree was outstanding.

The desserts were equally impressive - perfectly roasted yellow peach served whole and firm in a pomegranite and mint syrup; a rhubarb cake with home made lavender ice cream; a chocolate bomba; a caramel ice-cream served with a slightly liquorice tasting cream was heaven. Great espressos.

The staff was efficient, responsive and helpful. We had to be finished in 75 minutes and it all happened perfectly.
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C.Elder
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 20, 2008