Viva Verdi
our review
Ah, September. We're still waiting for summer but suddenly here comes Autumn and with it, a swarm of new restaurants all desperate to create a buzz among London's dining elite. There's Inamo in Soho; Min Jiang in Kensington; St Pancras Grand above the Eurostar terminal; and many more in between - but few are setting up home south of the river.
Viva Verdi is one of those few, with its location on Southwark's Canvey Street - home to other smart eateries like Tsuru, Leon and Del Aziz. From outside, it looks like any other slick city café but inside, the menu and the knowledgeable staff betray a passion for food that sets it apart from its nearby competitors. The focus is on the produce of Parma and its surrounding areas, so the menu consists mainly of cured meats and red wine - a match made in gourmet heaven.
We visited on a Friday lunchtime, looking for something light and tasty to stop us over-spending at nearby Borough Market. (Only fools and the filthy rich shop there on an empty stomach). We headed inside and settled into comfortable red leather chairs, which add welcome splashes of colour to the monochrome interior. Everything here is slick and polished, with theatrical touches like the baroque-print high stools at the window tables and an arty rose-shaped light fitting.
But, as my ravenous companion noted, 'you can't eat the décor, so roll out the ham'. And they did. We dismissed salami, mortadella and pancetta in favour of finely sliced parma ham - so tender and translucent we almost wept with joy. It arrives on traditional wooden boards with slices of ciabatta and chunks of aged Parmigiano Reggiano, which has an intense but not overwhelming flavour you just don't find in standard supermarket offerings.
We also shared a generous portion of the tortellini al prosciutto - top quality pasta filled with ham and topped with a light tomato and basil sauce and plenty of grated Parmigiano. There are paninis and piadinas on the menu as well and the man in charge of the antique Berkel slicer will happily carve up your favourite hams for you to take home.
The wine list is concise in the extreme, with just six carefully selected reds and three whites on offer. The rich Mirabile Nero d'Avola is a bargain at £4.95 a glass but if you're looking for something lighter then the list's only rosé - a light and fruity Sicilian - is a good choice.
While Viva Verdi delivers on the promised 'symphony of flavours', the service hit a bum note. We waited an age to place our order and struggled to catch the attention of the waitresses, despite being one of about five tables occupied. It's still early days though, so they have time to up their game
Pop in for lunch if you're in the area, or sit outside in the cubist al fresco area – after-work aperitivo in hand - and enjoy Verdi's operas playing in the background. Granted, it's not the Amalfi coast but it’s as close as you’re going to get in SE1.
KP - September 2008
what the critics say
Tom Lamont
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I went to the Tate Modern last week and after it decided to have dinner in the area. Accidentally discovered a restaurant/wine bar called Viva Verdi. Staff was really friendly and I was really surprised by the quality of the ingredients. Got a lovely burrata cheese as a starter accompanied by a nice glass of white wine. After decided to go for an home-made lasagna: delicious. The atmosphere was really pleasant. Great value for money.
A
Comment on this reader review
Andrea
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
An extremely disappointing evening here this week.
While the staff were generally very friendly, they were very hit and miss. It took ages to get our drinks - a bottle of wine, nothing complicated. We had to ask three times, and the first waitress spent 10 minutes cleaning cutlery instead of bringing it.
The menu was really short and unimaginative - pasta with pesto, lasagne and ravioli in tomato sauce. Nothing you couldn't find in Tesco's chiller cabinet. I was hungry and wanted 3 of the boards of meat and cheese. Tiny. £9 for three slices of spianata, a couple of slices of prosciutto crudo, and three little pieces of pecorino. And they didn't have any real bread, so I had to have the flatbread. I would have been hungry within 30 minutes but my friends gave me some of their dinner.
My companion's lasagne looked like it had been mashed up for a baby. Another friend had the cotoletta milanese, which tasted of nothing like veal, more like tasteless chicken. It came with aubergines which were extremely vinegary.
The wine list was ok and reasonably priced.
Very very disappointing and I won't be going back.
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mattsay - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Friday, October 30, 2009
I had lunch there last Thursday with two colleagues. Luckily I made a reservation in advance cuz the place was full. It has a vibrant welcoming atmosphere and the waiting staff are pleasant attentive. The menu offers a fantastic choice of Italian products (with a selection of PDO/IGP products) and wines with a terrific value for money. It was all fresh, nicely presented and special. Everything remembers the Italian tastes. I will definitely return.
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Luke 63 - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 04, 2009
This place is great, especially when they do freebie nibbles (Tuesdays?) whilst you have an aperitif and peruse the menu. The cheeses and hams are absolutely different class and the wine list is great - no filler there at all.
I guess the downside is that it looks a bit stark - not really somewhere you'd envisage settling in for an evening rather than a quick snack and out - but in my experience this is easily overcome once you've started making a dent in the prosecco.
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Richie
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
i'm surprised this place hasn't had a review yet. it's been open since late 2008 and has become a favourite lunch spot for my colleagues and i. piadinas are very good and its a reasonably priced spot for after-work drinks and charcuterie. service hit and miss but generally ok. be aware its less of a restaurant more of a cafe-bar, so quite relaxed and unfussy. would recommend for a quick bite.
Comment on this reader review
John Gates
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
@AndyLynes - Have used ours twice and found it much the same as tomato puree. Perhaps we've missed a trick?
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