Bocca di Lupo

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
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
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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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
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
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Friday, August 14, 2009

Most reviews seem to rate this restaurant quite highly, and after our first visit, so do I. The menu is imaginative and versatile- you seem to be able to have most of the dishes in starter or main course sizes, and if you wish you can make up your meal from a series of starter dishes. There was a lot of dishes on there we'd like to have tried. The quality of cooking and presentation was never less than good on the four dishes we tried today, and the service was pleasant and efficient. Seems to me that they have the knack of presenting imaginative Italian food and prices notably lower than you'll pay at Locanda Locatelli or Assaggi. I must confess a certain difficulty in seeing Italian food as a real gourmet experience and therefore paying top end prices for it, but these people have it about right for me, and the fact that the restaurant was almost full at lunch today seems to bear that out. The bill does kind of creep up on you though- the menu dishes are decently priced but as with many places its the add ons that mount up. Still overall we weren't unhappy to pay the £90 we spent on two course, wine and coffee today, and we'll surely be back.
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David Henderson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, May 09, 2009

Well, I've been here twice now. The first visit was pretty boring, I couldn't understand how on earth it garnered so much praise in the press.

I left it a while and went back a few days ago...this time I ordered more carefully, and had a much better time. The best dishes are the items the kitchen don't really mess with - the lamb prosciutto was amazing but a very small amount for the price and I didn't really care for the not very nice broad beans served with! The squacquerone cheese dish with speck and finnochia was another belter...why? because the produce was great and the kitchen hadn't interfered with it. Unfortunately the majority of the menu is made up of things that the kitchen does mess with which results in silly radish salads, underwhelming tuna tartare with a silly orange flavour and pasta that is nice but very expensive.

I love the restaurant, sitting at the bar is cracking and the service has always excellent but the food is overrated.
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J
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, April 07, 2009

this restaurant is a rip off. almost 12 quid for a small portion of pasta (tortelloni with ricotta) and they literally bring you 4 torteloni in the plate without shame, you have to see it to believe it. my dear you cant sell pasta for that money, 16 quid large portion of pasta with a bit of cheese is a total rip off. how did it taste? like pasta but without salt.

service was good, why shouldnt it be, ripping off ppl is fun i presume.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 03, 2009

Came here last month with large group of friends. Food is OK but the so-called "large" dishes are woefully small. Inventive and good menu though.
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JR
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Friday, March 27, 2009

Unfortunately I have to agree with the most recent two reviews below...I can't really see why such an extraordinary fuss is being made of this restaurant. The food is certainly good - mostly, but there are also some very average dishes too. And quite frankly neigbours of Bocca do offer very strong competition, anyone been to Barrafina or Quo Vadis? So definately not all that special in my opinion.

The service was okay - but seemed stretched, so I didnt blame the waiter. For a busy restaurant they need more staff. We waited more than 30mins for aperitifs and ended up skipping those all together, lost revenue for the restaurant.

Arriving at the restaurant we were greeted by Paul...it felt more like an interrogation. Frank & abrupt, not what you would expect from someone welcoming you to a wonderfull evening ahead. I hasten to add we arrived at 5:30pm - so not very busy yet either.

Overall the food is good, but its true what they say - first impressions last.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Monday, February 23, 2009