Dining at Bocca Di Lupo and drinking at the Experimental Cocktail ...

So, I?d been meaning to go to Bocca Di Lupo for a month of Sundays. And FINALLY I went on Thursday of last week and am pleased to say that it was well worth the wait.

I was a little anxious when I was only offered 2 spaces at the bar from 6 till 8, thinking sitting at the bar a little inferior to at a table (the timing didn?t bother me so much ? after all it was a fairly late booking). However, sitting at the bar was actually a really good thing; we felt part of the kitchen with all its? theatre, smells, sights and sounds. Plus, we could interact with the chefs a little which I enjoyed a lot. I may be wrong, but it must be great as a chef to see people eating the food you?ve cooked, rather than being tucked away downstairs never to be seen by the people you?re creating for, albeit potentially a little exposing at times.

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After a lengthy discussion with the sommelier we settled on a bottle of Lambrusco, a sparkling bottle of fruity lushness. Full of fruit and dancing bubbles, this was a perfect drink to not only toast good friendship to but also for sharing with a diverse range of dishes which were to come to us over the next couple of hours.

Of course we didn't go straight into that! An aperitif was required first to go alongside the delicious focaccia and olives to nibble; and a few moments later came an ap?rol spritz.

The menu at Bocca is a range of cured meats, pasta dishes, amazing grilled meat and fish as well as some delicious deep fried naughtiness.

Who could resist deep fried buffalo bocconcini; crisp balls hiding an oozing centre of rich yet slightly acidic, fresh pale whiteness. Joining this little nibble were 2 fantastic plates of food; crescentine with capocollo Di Martina Franca and squacquerone and a plate of sea bream carpaccio with raw red prawns and a dressing of blood orange and rosemary. Crescentine are little pillows of dough fried in lard. These were served warm so that the fat in the Capocollo (a delicious home made cured neck of pork), and the squacquerone (a soft, unctuous cows' milk cheese with a taste, in my opinion, of sweet fermenting harvested grass for hay), just started to melt. Simple gorgeous! The carpaccio was also delicious and I loved the addition of blood orange zest to the thinly sliced fish; a perfect compliment.

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We then went on to enjoy two plates of pasta (by the way these come in small or large sizes, and we had the small size?moderation is the key?). First we enjoyed pappardelle (which is my favourite pasta) with a ragu of duck pluck (a mix of heart, liver and gizzard). Now I don't normally go for offal if I'm honest. However, I do like gizzards as a result of my year teaching in France where I ate many a 'salade P?rigourdine' with some delicious confit of gizzards mixed in. And I also love liver, so a bit of duck heart was the only thing I'd never eaten before so really this wasn't anything too scary at all. Indeed it was a rich, slow cooked ragu that perfectly coated my favourite ribbons of pasta.

The second plate of pasta was orecchiette with nduja (spicy sausage), red onion, tomato and rocket. Simple but delicious; great ingredients cooked well and served in a matter of moments. I enjoy these little pasta shapes too, with their thicker consistency, they always have a good bite to them, a perfect balance for the soft sauce napping the little ears of pasta.

We were tempted by the slow braised ox cheek in tomato and the mother of all steaks (serving 2 to 10!) that would frequently jump on the grill? (See below)

However, having already consumed a fair amount of food, we opted for the more modest spicy grilled sausage. Although delicious in its own right, I was a little non plussed by this dish? It was good, but just, a bit, well, average after everything else we had eaten. Other than that though, the experience was fantastic and I only wish I?d been sooner. I will certainly be going back. We spent just over ?100 for two which, given the food and alcohol we consumed, felt about right.

After dinner we nipped into Gelupo for some amazing ice cream (i was already a fan) and also to stock up on my favourite little liquorice tronchetinni which you must try if you?ve not yet; little nibs of unsweetened liquorice. Honestly. Try them.

Then off to the Experimental Cocktail Club we went? I love it there. Hidden, in the middle of China Town, it?s notoriously hard to get in and harder to get a table, but we were lucky. My hair must have looked good as they offered us two remaining seats at the bar in an instant?. Incidentally, you can ask for a card which takes you to a bookings page online? I?d suggest using that to avoid disappointment. Or, make sure you?ve done your hair really well.

Over the next couple of hours or so we enjoyed a selection of delicious concoctions. I?ve got into my cocktails over the last couple of years so it?s a real treat to go here. I enjoyed a saint Germain des Pres; a mix of gin, St Germain liqueur, lime juice, elderflower, egg white, a bit of spice and cucumber juice. This was so good, cooling and refreshing but certainly boozy with a hit of spice?

My friend Ellie enjoyed a concoction of beetroot and rum, angostura bitters and lime which was delicious too and then we shared a Stockholm syndrome; vodka infused with cumin and dill, aquavit, lemon juice, sharp and bitters. This was genius. Interestingly, I got the cumin more than the dill, Ellie got the reverse. Either way, a great drink!

These cocktails don?t come cheap at about ?12.50 a pop but they are worth it and it?s not something you do every day. There?s also something really theatrical about cocktails and makes the seem worthwhile.

Source: http://alanrosenthal.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/dining-at-bocca-di-lupo-and-drinking-at-the-experimental-cocktail-club/

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