Tipped

Stunning Sardinian fare

May 09, 2008

Yes, I know; they've been driving up house prices, taking over Premier League teams and generally flaunting their wealth in the capital, BUT your average Russian oligarch knows his food. Or at least that was my take having sat next to a particularly monied Black Sea set at Oliviomare some time ago. They knew what I now know, that this place is special and does a niche cuisine very, very well indeed.

I'd been there before with work, and now felt confident enough to go there on my own dollar, based on my wife's desire to try more seafood restaurants. Being the cunning marketeer I am, I thought fish + Italian (wife's favourite) = Oliviomare.

What a great choice it turned out to be. My starter of crab linguine was faultless, simply exquisite, and paired nicely with the white I'd selected. The main course of seabass with black olives and a simple sauce brought memories of my trip to Italy flooding back. Initially, I was reminded of the happy times in Tuscany and their simple approach to rustic food. Laterly, I recalled the stress related journey's in that damn French car we hired when the sat nav failed... Move on Leigh, just move on.

At Italian restaurants I rarely look beyond the Panna Cotta on the desert menu, and had one of a very high standard - how do they damn well do it?

In conclusion then, a great place that has served me well a couple of times and even amazed me at point. The only moan I have is the cost - it doesn't come cheap. In fact, if you are the Chinese bloke who offered me a couple of grand for one of my kidney's on eBay then I could well be up for it if I go back to Oliviomare again this year. But at least I'll know that it is money well spent.

Tags: Fish, Italian, Seafood,

Fishy Italian delights

May 01, 2008

This is a lovely little fish restaurant tucked away in Belgravia. There are two sister restaurants nearby (Olivo and Olivetto) and this is definitely the swankier of the three with oh-so-cool decor and some v posh diners (think Russin Mafia and kids called Sebastian and Trixiebell). The food was really tasty - I had crab and chilli linguine to start and the swordfish with courgette for main... mm it's making me feel hungry all over again now! And for pudding homemade tiramisu. The service was very good, the atmosphere could do with an improvement though - it was a little too stiff for my liking and what's with hiding the toilet door so you can barely find it? pretentious shite in my eyes! Prob helps them to justify the prices too! But the food is really really good...

Tags: fish italian belgravia victoria restaurant

Classic meets modern

August 13, 2007

I think the recently bad reviews in the press have changed the way they do things here because we had a top notch experience. I had a business lunch there and the waitstaff were very friendly and attentive throughout the entire meal; no complaints on the service whatsoever. The decor is very modern, mainly all white, with a hint of colour with funky wallpaper. I felt like I was walking into the Sanderson Hotel; minimalist but done well like in an art gallery. True, the stark white chairs weren’t overly comfortable but we weren’t there to watch a movie either so they were doable.

The menu is full of fresh Italian dishes with an emphasis on seafood (hence the name). We had their special starter which was fresh mozzarella with basil cherry tomatoes and a sliced apricot-type fruit which I didn’t recognize when the waitress told me what it was nor could we tell by the taste (I’ve uploaded a photo of the dish) but it was delicious. The mozzarella was so fresh and pure it had an almost cream cheese texture, nothing like I’ve ever had. All their ingredients tasted like they were just picked or caught.

For a main, I had the small lobster for £14.50 which was grilled to perfection with fresh herbs and lemon. The large one was around £26. My colleague had grilled monkfish with courgettes, also done to perfection with olive oil and lemon; very simply dishes. I was actually not full with my lobster so had some of her dish which was enough for two. Most of the tables ordered the grilled octopus with cherry tomatoes and basil for a starter and when I go back I will definitely try that. The salmon dish that passed by our table also looked really good, as did the pasta with clams. Lots of choices.

The dessert was another highlight: huge, fresh cherries served in bowl of ice water. My colleague had frozen yogurt with blueberries and it was SO GOOD. It tasted exactly like what you’d imagine frozen yogurt to taste like with a hint of blueberries mixed in. The table next to us also ordered that and I thought they were going to lick their bowl.

I will definitely be back and in fact have already booked a table in two weeks time. For me a good restaurant is about 3 things: Good service, good atmosphere and great food. Olivomare fulfilled all of these. If I had to find a lowlight it would be that I did feel a tad rushed; they brought the meals very close together but then things seemed to slow down to just right at dessert. It could be because they know most of us don’t have a lot of time over lunch.

Tags: Seafood, pasta, business lunch, modern decor, classic food, vegetarian