Bocca di Lupo

I've been at Bocca di Lupo with my Partner to celebrate our anniversary. We are both Italian, hence we have a pretty good understanding of a good Italian restaurant in London...Bocca di Lupo is DEFINITELY NOT ONE OF THEM.

The quality of the food is really poor, we had a mix of fried as starter and they were so oily that it was very difficult to eat them.

We then had the main course, bollito and scaloppine, and it was like eating an Italian dish cooked by a chef who moved from Italy 50 years ago...over seasoned, full of garlic, heavy sauce...

Talking about the service then, the waiters were really unresponsive and slow, we had to call the waiter 3 times for our order, we then waited for 20 minutes before getting our water and bottle of wine, and 20 minutes waiting to finally get the bill.

The bill...£120 for a 2 course dinner and 1 bottle of wine!

Not recommended...
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Silvia
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Thursday, April 15, 2010

I am struggling to see what all the fuss is about this place. It's been written up in newspapers and foodie mags across the land as a genuine Italian dining experience. I went last week with my mother, who is Italian, my wife and my sister. We all left feeling disappointed.

The food wasn't bad it was just incredibly unexciting. My tripe starter was okay, others shared a lamb prosciutto to start and all agreed that it wasn't as good as the better known pig version, you have to ask what's the point? My wife and sister both went for raw fish with Rosemary Oil which just tasted of rosemary oil (I tried the scallop and agree). My mother had clams and beans that she said were over seasoned and she LOVES her salt! I had the shin of beef and brain ravioli which, conversely to the clam dish, hadn't been seasoned at all - it tasted of nothing which is impressive in itself considering the main ingredients!

The staff were friendly and attentive but the food was a real let down. I honestly think (and I can't believe I'm writing this) that Strada is better.
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Simon H
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I cannot understand how this restaurant has attracted so many poor reviews. I had lunch there today and it was quite simply outstanding. Having regard to the food, service and value for money I cannot think of another Italian restaurant that I would rate more highly. There are so few decent Italian restaurants in London that this one stands out.

I had the broad bean fazzoletti pasta which was incredible. Deliciously light, perfectly seasoned and the sauce a perfect balance against the pasta. As is so often the case with good Italian food, a wonderful 'vegetarian' dish because it happens to be vegetarian.

Then I had the braised kid. Admittedly it was a little heavy and a tiny bit greasy but that's to be expected of a braised meat dish. The kid itself was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious.

Unfortunately I didn't have a dessert (I would have had a gelato if my guest had opted for a dessert) but the espresso was perfect with a proper crema that hadn't fizzled out en route - to my eyes another simple test of how good a so called Italian restaurant actually is.

The waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and understood the dishes. Service was very quick.

Overall I thought it was unbelievable value too. Where else in London can you get proper pasta for £7.50 and a main course for less than £20.

Admittedly I've only eaten there once but I will definitely be back. It will rank as one of my top restaurants alongside Barrafina, Racine and Moro.
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CGA
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, March 13, 2010

Very disappointing.

Started with fried red prawns & eel - both were tasteless (except for a couple of prawns which had a strong unpleasant fishy taste). Partner has fried bread + dried meats which was OK but unremarkable. Partner had roast suckling pig for main & I had the rustic pork sausages, with a side order of cime di rapa. The portion of suckling pig was off-puttingly large for my partner so we swapped. The meat was delicious, but the bed of chicory on which it sat was over-cooked & not pleasant eating. By contrast the cime di rapa (broccoli raab) was perfectly cooked & also delicious. The pork sausages were average - nothing to get excited about.

We drank prosecco & a sangiovese recommended by the waiter - this was very good.

Service was attentive when there, but somewhat slow (bringing wine, getting bill, etc).

Atmosphere was fine - good buzz - but the restaurant was completely let down by the food.
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Richard
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Sunday, March 07, 2010

This is probably the biggest disappointment of the year so far. I was very excited to be coming together with a group of friends for dinner at Bocca Di lupo, based purely on the excellent reviews that it has been getting, I made the booking 2 weeks out . Being the organiser of the get together, I was left redfaced after the following occured: being lead to our table 30mins late as it was ready, being told that we had to hurry up and get off the table as we ran 15mins over our allotted time the next guests to the table were "having to be given free drinks" because of us!, 2 beers that were ordered at the same time came 5 minutes apart from each other, the same meal that was ordered in both a large and a small arrived looking exactly the same size, but the large was almost twice the price, in attentive service which wasn't made any easier by the fact that the restaurant is so noisy that you must yell at the person next to you to chat. All in all, extremely disappointing and embarssing and I would not recommend it.
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5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, March 03, 2010

I've been to Bocca di Lupo twice but will not go back. Food is hit or miss. Some dishes are quite good while others are so mediocre that I wonder how this restaurant can stay in business. And it's very expensive for the quality.
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SR - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Intrigued by all the hype surrounding Bocca di Lupo, I called up my dear Italian friend and foodie extraordinaire Tea (short for Teodora) for a meal at this very trendy establishment. Despite booking well in advance, we managed to get squeezed in for a 6pm sitting last Friday, and were reminded on arrival that our bit of counter should be vacated by 8pm, and no later.

Bocca di Lupo is simply and informally decorated, tucked in on Archer Street, W1, one of the seediest streets in Soho. It was a runner-up in the Best New Italian Restaurants category of Time Out’s 2010 Eating & Drinking Guide and had received rave reviews by fellow food bloggers World Foodie Guide and Londonelicious to name a few.

The menu is not overly long or complicated, and clearly describes the Italian regions from which each of the dishes originate. I also enjoyed the possibility of ordering various dishes to share as opposed to having my own main course.

We started the evening with “Buffalo Mozzarella Bocconcini” @ £2.50 each. As expected, these were very delicious and creamy.

This was followed by “Crescentini (fried bread) with Finocchiona, Speck & Squacquerone Cheese” @ £5.50 (small). This was ok, although neither of us could taste the fennel in the fried bread, and felt that the accompanying portions of speck and cheese were rather meagre.

The “Shaved Radish, Celeriac and Pecorino Salad with Pomegranates and Truffle Oil” £5.50 (small) was one of the highlights of the evening. The flavours and textures were diverse but came together nicely in the heavily scented truffle oil. I really enjoyed this dish and would certainly order it again.

We ordered two of their pasta dishes, “Tortellini with Cream and Nutmeg” @ £8.00 (small), and “Tagliatelle with Pigeon and Pork Ragu” @ £7.00 (small). They were both good although to my surprise, the vegetarian option was the better of the two. The simplicity of the tortellini was refreshing, with the flavours of cream, cheese and nutmeg completely unadulterated and delicious. The Pigeon and Pork Ragu was also good and rich.

The best dish of the evening was undoubtedly the “Sea Bream Baked in Salt” @ £16 (whole fish). The salty crust in which the fish was baked helped to season the flesh to perfection. It was reminiscent of Baccalá but without the chewiness and dense consistency of this salt-dried fish (cod). A true revelation.

To accompany the fish we ordered a portion of “Grilled Radicchio and Asiago Cheese” @ £6.50 (small). The radicchio had been seasoned with balsamic vinegar and tasted sweet and slightly charred with the melted Asiago cheese (reminiscent of parmesan). We did not think it was an outstanding dish.

For dessert, we ordered the “Rum Baba with Pineapple and Whipped Cream” @ £5.50 and the “Brioche “sandwich” of Hazelnut, Pistachio and Chestnut Gelati (ice cream)” @ £7.00. These were again fine, but rather unremarkable.

I do not know if our mixed experience at Bocca di Lupo was because of my unduly high expectations or possibly because of the impersonal but efficient service we received. The food was good but not outstanding. I would like to give Bocca di Lupo another try when some of the hype finally quietens down.

Verdict – Good Italian food at medium prices in Soho. Impersonal but efficient service. At £126.56 for four, Bocca di Lupo was relatively good value but hardly a bargain.
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The London Foodie - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I have to confess that I don't understand why anyone would ever think this restaurant is good. If you want horrifically overrated, overpriced food, then this is your perfect venue. That said, the service was very very nice.

The Emperor's new clothes adage was absolutely spot on. I should have listened!!!!
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 27, 2009

I think I must have been to a different restaurant to the other reviewers. Either that, or the owners of Bocca di Lupo have taken these comments to heart. I went for lunch last Saturday, and loved it. Even better than the first time a few weeks ago, which was still pretty good. This time I had the white risotto, which came with wafer-thin slices of fennel on the most amazingly well-flavoured rice I've ever had. Smooth-hound dogfish was nice but not remarkable, but the sausage with fried polenta, with flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove was just so delicious. Cassata was a bit overwhelmed by the icing, but a friend's choice of almond granita with bitter chocolate ice-cream was to die for. All (except the puds) were small plates, and just as well. We had to walk back to Victoria as it was, we were so full. Our waitress was lovely - friendly, chatty and gracious, and the wine (including a pale, pale pink Prosecco) well chosen and a good price. People - go back and try it again. Trust me, it is worth it.
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Julie Hope
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with regret I have to inform you that the emperor is not wearing clothes. This restaurant fails to even come close to some of the critical accliam it has received. The seating at the bar is cramped and the counter too high to eat at in comfort. The staff are stetched, leaving a little to be desired in terms of service. The food is seriously underwhelming at best. It speaks volumes that the best dishes are those where the kitchen is least involved. Even the coffee was overextracted with barely any crema, a disgrace at £2.20 for a single espresso. Spend a little more and go to locanda locatelli. His outfit really is magnificent!
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Shappo - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Friday, August 14, 2009