Bocca Di Lupo

Quality Regional Italian food in London

You will be familiar with Bocca Di Lupo if you love eating out in London, one of the most talked about Italian restaurants in town, recently appeared in the BBC food program "Food and Drinks", known for serving regional Italian food in tapas size for sharing, not easy to get hold of a table and I had to book the place 3 weeks in advance.

It was absolutely packed when we arrived, we were sited behind the smart looking bar as I requested, where you can see all the actions from the kitchen. Our waiter and the kitchen staff warmly greeted us, the setting remind me of Barrafina just down the road. We were given some bread and olive while we were looking at the menu, the olive was very fresh and the bread was soft and of great quality. There is also a dinning room at the back if you are after more of a formal dinning experience.

bread and olive

First to arrive was Squid, Liguria style. Simply done like the razor clam I had in Barrafina, just some light seasoning with olive oil, letting the fresh ingredients do the talking. The squid was moist and smooth, the dash of lemon and rocket leaf went really well with it, a great dish to start off the meal.

Squid

Next up was the dish of the day, Baked Giant Scallops. The thyme and lemon juice combined with the fresh scallop created an aroma sensation, the juicy, light and softness of the scallop meat was outstanding and I can easily eat that all day long, just another great example of the importance of using top ingredients. I know there is just no way of using frozen scallop that can deliver such texture and smell.

Baked Giant Scallop

The Grilled Baby Monkfish Tail on the other had was a bit of a let down, the monkfish was very meaty but smooth, just like monkfish should be, but I think it was left on the grill for a little too long and the peated flavours really covered up the taste of the fish and left it rather bland, probably the weakest dish of the meal.

Grilled Baby Monkfish Tail

However the Tagliolini with Sea Snail Ragu was truly outstanding, the fine chopped sea snail added a great layer of texture to the rich and smooth tomato sauces on a really well made fresh tagliolini, perfectly seasoned and beautifully cooked, one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had in London.

Tagliolini with Sea Snail Ragu

The meat course, spring lamb was rather average, Lamb Leg & Shoulder meat braised in white wine sauces thickened with egg yolks & pecorino. On paper it sounded great but the outcome was a different story, meat was tender and sweet just as quality lamb should be, but I wasn't so sure if the sauces worked with the lamb on its own, it was really strong and rich, too salty with the cheese element inside. I think it needed some form of either potato or risotto to absorb the richness to complete the dish.

Spring lamb

I had the famous Gelupo sorbet for dessert, out of the 3 different scoops, the blood orange was the best, full of sweet and elegant flavours with just a tiny touch of bitterness in the finish, wonderful. To sum it up, I enjoyed the overall experience at Booca Di Lupo. While there are little issues in some of the dishes, other dishes were absolutely class and showcase some really wonderful flavours from Italy, if the level was more consistent, then I think it can well become 1 of the best Italian in London.

sorbet

Food 6
Service 6
Ambience 7
Value 5

£49 per head

12 Archer St, London,
Greater London W1D 7BB

www.boccadilupo.com