|
p16
IL BACIO
61 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16, Tel: 020 7249 3833
Open Mon-Fri 6pm - 11:15pm, Sat-Sun 12:45 - 11:15pm
IL BACIO DELI
Stoke Newington Church Street, N16
Open Tue-Fri 8am - 7:00pm, Sat-Sun 9am - 7:30 pm
LA FENICE
194 Stoke Newington High Street, N16, Tel: 020 7249 9111
Open for dinner every evening, Will open Fri, Sat, Sun for lunch next year |
Il Bacio
Contrary to popular opinion that Indian cuisine constitutes the favourite meal in Britain,
a recent Time Out survey showed that in London, the most popular type of food is Italian.
More than half the people questioned said it is their favourite.
In the wake of the success of 'The River Cafe', new wave Italian cooking has been all the
rage for the last five years or so. The local trattoria has all but disappeared and has
been replaced by Italian restaurants that rely more on rustic cooking and are particularly
good value for money.
In a world increasingly dominated by these 'modern Italian' restaurants, it takes a good
deal of bravery to run an unashamedly traditional Italian eatery. Four years ago Michaela
and Luigi opened Il Bacio at 61 Stoke Newington Church Street. It was an immediate
success.
There is a nice buzzy atmosphere that makes diners feel at ease. The decor is fashionable
but has not been followed slavishly. There is a quirky selection of prints and pictures on
the walls that work well, while the tall candle lamps on the table make reading the menu a
bit of a strain, but add nicely to the ambience.
All this plus friendly, accomplished service make Il Bacio a winner. There are no
surprises on the menu starters and pastas are Italian standards, competently cooked and
the portions are large. Starters include light and tasty crespoline with Ricotta and baby
spinach (£5.50) and Gnocchi stuffed with rocket (£4.95). The main courses, lamb with red
chilli and tomatoes (£14.95) and veal cooked with rocket and roasted tomatoes (£11.50)
are served with vegetables and sauté potatoes.
Now we come to the pizza they are stupendously large and stupendously tasty. From a list
of over twenty, all excellent, the Capriciosa (£5.50) and Vegetariana (£6.50) surpass
all expectations, being enormous and succulent. The pièce de resistance for me though,
was the Pescatora a smokily tasty pizza base topped with a light tomato sauce and a very
generous amount of juicy prawns, squid and capers. A snip at £6.95.
It is difficult to finish a whole pizza at one sitting the management supply pizza boxes
to take the remainder home. Luigi the chef/ patron is from Sardinia and has spent most of
his life in the restaurant business hence nice touches like Sardinian bread a large
paratha-like disc drizzled with olive oil and fresh basil, served with the starters.
The dessert menu is also long and interesting, mainly consisting of home-made ice cream
which is another speciality. The Tiramisu (£3.50) was very well received on the night we
visited.
A new venture for Luigi and his wife Michaela is a small deli and cafe on the other side
of Church Street. The deli specialises in produce from small producers in Italy.
Baskets overflow with ciabatta and crusty rustic loaves, including their own Sardinian
bread. Luscious pastries may be eaten on the premises with excellent Italian coffee.
Long-term plans include importing Alessi products and personalised Sardinian ceramics to
sell in the shop. If you said it sounds like the epitome of Italian chic, you would be
right.
La Fenice
An excellent site on Stoke Newington High Street near the junction with Church Street has
been made to work in its latest incarnation. La Fenice is stylish and very definitely
Italian softly ragged, ochre coloured walls and fabulous light fittings help to create a
warm attractive ambience.
The standard Italian anti pasti are good versions of the usual suspects. The mozzarella
fried in breadcrumbs with a piquant sauce was excellent (Mozzarella in Carrozza £4.50) as
was the bresaola with rocket and flaked Parmesan (£6.50).
From a choice of either pasta or risotto dishes we tried a perfectly cooked risotto al
frutti di mare (£6.50) with tender prawns, mussels and squid. My friend's Calzone was a
voluptuous parcel of ham, Ricotta, tomato, mushrooms and spinach (£5.80).
On a previous visit we were very impressed by the calves liver with balsamic vinegar and
apple (£9.50), while a special of grilled Sea Bass also looked and tasted sumptuous. All
main courses come with vegetables there are no hidden surprises or cover charge. The fish
and meat dishes read like a high street selection but are superior products most of the
main courses are under £10. It's the same story with the desserts the list changes
frequently.
The informed, polite service was as impeccable as the zabaglione the waiter niftly whipped
up in the dining room on a small burner in a copper bowl. How Italian can you get?
The wine list is short, Italian and good value. We had an excellent bottle of San Lorenzo
for £14.50.
Mario the patron, is from Naples, as is his chef Daniele. They are now taking bookings for
Christmas and New Year's Eve. It's definitely worth crossing the road to La Fenice.
Ethel Minogue is N16's restaurant critic and runs Moriarty's Bar in Liverpool Road,
Islington.
|
. |
