Something that the English seem to find difficult that the Americans thrive on is so-called ‘bar dining’, when you sit at the bar of a restaurant, either on your own or with friends, and enjoy your meal that way. Done badly, it can be slightly off-putting, but done the right way it offers intimacy, a more casual approach to high-end restaurants and, in some cases, allows drop-in visitors the only chance that they might have to enjoy an excellent dinner at short notice.
The much-acclaimed Bocca di Lupo does have a few tables in the back room, but again the ambience here is buzzy, noisy in a good way and cheerful. If your idea of a good night is going somewhere where people speak in hushed tones and the staff are like undertakers solemnly offering funeral elegies to whatever birds and beasts have died for your culinary pleasure, forget it. One of two main reasons why Bocca is in everyone’s little black book is that it’s a genuinely fun and exciting place to hang out.
The other reason, perhaps inevitably, is chef Jacob Kenedy’s cooking, which takes the traditions of Italian regional cuisine and offers it at accessible prices with style and chutzpah to spare. The orecchiette might promise extremely spicy home-made salame but it’s unlikely to frighten the horses, while the fried soft-shell crab is to die for. A main course of tagliata of grilled rib of beef can be shared between two to 10 people, and those lucky enough to have it can marvel at the way that the rosemary, an unusual but effective compliment, suits the meat just as well as it does with lamb.
A dessert of sanguinaccio – chocolate mixed with pig’s blood – might sound revolting but in fact it tastes delicious, like the richest and most complex chocolate spread you’ve ever had. All of this goes superbly with the eclectic Italian-focused wine list; a particular highlight was a dry yet fruity Roero Arneis white from Piedmont, a beautiful compliment to the meal.
If you’re an ice cream connoisseur, then you’d be well advised to go over the road to the boutique Gelupo, which serves a weird and wonderful array of flavours, including ricotta, coffee and honey, bergamot sorbet and mulled wine granita. Like everything about its grown-up sibling, it’s innovative, delicious and not without a certain amount of wit as well.
12 Archer St, London W1. www.boccadilupo.com
