The Daily Telegraph
William Sitwell found a “classic menu to satisfy the purist Italophile” at this smart new Notting Hill venture, but it “didn’t quite deliver on the promise” and lacked the “guts to really bring it glory”.
Doubts began to set in when chef Emanuele Pollini himself brought out the main courses, congratulating William and his friend on ordering favourite dishes from his home region, Emilia-Romagna – “an easy line in sycophancy” which the reviewer managed to resist.
The tagliatelle was decent “but it lacked the dark depth one dreams of when contemplating duck ragù”, while the green salad was “all soft leaves” with no crunch.
And if sycophancy was bad enough, the kitchen “cheated” on the fondente al cioccolato, which arrived in a little ramekin with a handle instead of being turned out onto a plate. “Sure, it was gooey and rich and delicious, and offset by pistachio ice cream, but that’s not the point – the technical challenge had been swerved.”
William Sitwell - 2024-04-21
