All reader reviews by lex

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

Saturday, July 19, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4