It’s been a while since I have been to a restaurant that I actually want to write about! Bocca Di Lupo on Archer Street, Soho has earned that honor this year. I went there with a friend who seems to know everything about the best places to eat in London.
Translated to English Bocca di Lupo means ‘the mouth of the wolf’. This phrase has three meanings in Italian: a type of pastry, a basement ventilation opening or it refers to a defensive obstacle (trou de loup). The related Italian phrase in bocca al lupo – ‘into the wolf’s’ is an expression of good luck, similar to the sentiment meant when we say break a leg. Interestingly on the website, it is clear the owner want us to eat and be satisfied, leading us in with the welcoming phrase ‘For when you’re hungry like the wolf’
And hungry I was, for despite consuming two filing and delicious buns (Kloben bun from Ole & Steen and Cardamom bun from Fabrique) in quite a short space of time, I was still very hungry and more than ready for my Italian gastronomic experience.
This restaurant has been around since 2008, serving food and wine from all 20 regions of Italy. Some foods (e.g. gelato, breads, sausages and pasta) are made in house and other foods are sourced from Italy. With two sittings available, lunch from 1200 – 1500 (1530 on a Sunday) and dinner from 1700 – 2300 (2130 on a Sunday), my friend had booked us in for lunch at 1415.
The resturant is set up so that you can sit at the Chef’s counter in front of the open kitchen, or sit at tables in the back or a reserve a place in the private dining area. We were seated at the counter, with gleaming white Carrera marble and high brown leather bar stools (thankfully at my age, they were fitted with backs and foot rests) therefore fairly comfortable. We could see straight into the busy kitchen. We also seemed to be at the end where the orders were taken out to the waiting public and the stress involved in this process was quite palpable but seemingly very watchable.
I had a front-row seat view to head chef Gareth Saywell, working very hard and orchestrating the production of dish after delicious looking dish. I was very much reminded of the film and series Boiling Point, that I had seen a bit of at the end of last year. It looked very very intense and actually quite organised.
The menu is changed daily at Bocca Di Lupo, they offer dishes in small and large plates. The smaller plates are for sharing, tapas style and larger plates offer a more generous sized individual portions. Following our waitress’s recommendation, we selected 3 small dishes each.
What did I order?
We were given plates of bread, olives and olive oil to start with. Oh my goodness! Heaven on a plate. I think one was an onion topped foccacia.
Cocktail: La Violeta – Gin, Lemon, Sugar and Lambrusco
Fritti Romani: Olive stuffed with minced pork and veal.
Pasta: Orecchiette with cime di rapa and pecorino, a classic Puglian dish
Oven & grill: Fennel sausage, roasted red onion
Dessert: Torta Barozzi (choco-rum, coffee & almond) cream
This chocolate torta is named after an Italian 16th century architect Giacomo Barozzi
Cafe zuccherato (sweetened coffee): Bicerin (with hot chocolate and cream)
We spent about two hours there and I was quite full when we left! I feel like I would definately go back there again. Alone or with company, both situations would work for me. I have a desire try everything on the menu and could happily sit all afternoon watching the comforting rhythm of the kitchen. Is that strange? Probably, but it was somehow quite soothing for reasons I do not understand and I have not explored.
I was also somehow also interested in the fact that at the end of the lunch shift all the staff seemed to stop to eat. What I mean is, suddenly a tray of freshly cooked chicken appeared and a bowl of fresh salad greens was placed on the counter not far from where we were seated. Then one by one the restuarant staff would take a plate and fill it with a few pieces of chicken and salad, take their plates, sit and eat. So obviously I don’t know the ins and outs of what this actually was and what it meant. However, I did take away the impression that there was an expectation that the staff would eat and eat well when on shift (assuming that none of them were vegetarian!). We did ask one of the staff about it and they confirmed it was in house lunch and that they also got to eat pizza at 11am before the shift. Well they work hard!
In conclusion, for me, Bocca Di Lupo is restaurant worthy of a blog post and a visit. If you want to try it out, below are the details 👇🏾
Website: http://www.boccadilupo.com
