Spuntino opened recently in Rupert Street (a dodgy backstreet near Piccadilly Circus) and has become the latest ‘in’ place to eat. All the London based food blogs have been raving about it. I rarely venture into central London for dinner (I probably should), but as I was meeting a friend there anyway after work yesterday so we decided to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about.
The restaurant is very small with only bar seating, apart from one table at the back. The style is New York-esque with low lighting and simple, rustic décor. You are greeted by the friendly staff and a waft of popcorn (they have a popcorn machine and serve this as an appetizer). Spuntino don’t take reservations so you queue and have a drink while you wait for a seat. It is best to get there early; we arrived at 6.30pm and had to wait 30 minutes to be seated, and when we left at 8pm the queue was spilling out the door and the staff were advising a wait of over an hour (this on a Monday). Popular place!
So we had our chilli popcorn as an amuse-bouche then selected a few dishes to share- the menu is made up of fun tapas style dishes. We had: aubergine chips with fennel seed yoghurt dip, asparagus and spring onion pizzetta, chopped salad, and the acclaimed ‘truffle egg toast’ (which is basically a wedge of cheese on toast with an egg in the middle, and drizzled with truffle oil). It was all delicious. For dessert we chose the Wild Turkey Bourbon Brownie (I enquired about the Wild Turkey and was told it is a type of bourbon… I was a bit suspicious being a vegetarian!) which was suitably squidgy and boozy.
The food at Spuntino is tasty and fun, it is a great place for an after work snack with a friend. The staff are chilled out, efficient, and friendly even when it is busy. I will go again- and for next time I have my eye on the ‘Mac & Cheese’ (which is served in individual bubbling cast iron pots).
No comments:
Post a Comment