Bocca di Lupo

Regional Italian cooking expert 

Pappardelle with beef stracotto ragu

 

Since launched back in 2008, Bocca di Lupo has become an extremely popular, hard-to-book restaurant in London. While there are many Italian restaurants in the capital, Booca di Lupo stood tall and to these days, it is still a hot in-demand venue that is not easy to secure a table. The restaurant offers a range of small to large plates of traditional Italian dishes from different regions of Italy, well ahead of its time before small plates become a trend. It also has a range of dishes using animal off-cuts such as trips and pig foot, very rustic indeed.

Spaghetti with bottarga and duck egg

Red prawns risotto

Oxheart and onions

The cream of langoustine & red prawn risotto demonstrated how good risotto can be when cooked with top-quality ingredients. The rice absorbed all the lovely seafood flavours from the shellfish, with some red shrimps cooked at the perfect level to add an extra umami taste and smooth texture. The Oxheart cooked with onion took advantage of rustic cooking using offcuts, and the heart had a rump steak-like texture. The classic beef and onion taste was very comforting and the sage balanced off the earthy profile brilliantly. The star dish was the suckling pig porchetta, cooked perfectly with crispy skin, and very moist meat that was well marinated with spices, wine & bay leaves. 

Braised chickpeas and pig trotter

Grilled monkfish and polenta

Roast suckling pig with chestnuts, white wine & bay

My 4th visit to Bocca di Lupo was as good as my last, the rustic, regional approach made it very different from many other Italian restaurants in the capital. Despite it having been around since 2008, it still has an edgy and contemporary vibe, with many interesting dishes popping out daily. The restaurant is my to-go-to choice for Italian food in London, and skipping dessert and visiting Gelupo (also owned by the same people) across the road for ice cream is one of the most satisficing eat-out combos in London.

Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£42 per head with wines

Average cost without drinks and services:
£40


12 Archer St, London W1D 7BB

http://www.boccadilupo.com/