Ristorante Semplice (W1S 1LJ)
Ambience
Cuisine
Cuisine
Service
Value for Money
Value for Money
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Dinner with seven friends on a Friday night at a window table, drinking highly quaffable Sicilian wine, eating (almost entirely) excellent Italian food. Is there a better way to end the week?
Ristorante Semplice opened last year to some tough reviews. But it's now got a Critics Choice star next to it in the Time Out Restaurant Guide, and based almost entirely on that, we booked a table for a spontaneous dinner with some of our closest friends.
That we had the star, oval table in the window set the tone for our evening - and if anyone had anything bad to say about Semplice being 'soulless', we'd have to disagree. Was it the table and that highly drinkable wine? Perhaps.
Our starters were almost entirely enjoyed, with the exception of our one friend, who also missed on her entree. She had a basic Caprese salad, and said the mozzarella was quite dry. But everything else - the beef carpaccio, warm French bean and potato salad, and pan-fried goat cheese with beet root - was delicious.
Our mains were also almost entirely loved, with risotto with sausage the best represented at the table. One friend had the roasted and pan-fried rabbit (which clearly earned him points in our waiter's eyes, as his was the only dish which arrived with full explanation), I loved the potato and rosemary ravioli in braised oxtail sauce, and someone else happily polished off their buffalo gnocchetti with langoustines.
The only disappointment in mains was the salmon in vegetable broth with mashed potatoes, and when our friend mentioned it to the waiter, he remarked that they get complaints about it all the time. Perhaps a change in the menu - or at least a warning upon ordering - is warranted here....
The shared puddings at the table - chocolate fondant and apple fritters - were also a hit, and by that point, we were grateful the loos were located all the way downstairs (past a very lovely wine tasting room).
With friendly, professional staff and a reasonable bill (£80/couple), you can count on a repeat visit by, well, almost all of us.
That we had the star, oval table in the window set the tone for our evening - and if anyone had anything bad to say about Semplice being 'soulless', we'd have to disagree. Was it the table and that highly drinkable wine? Perhaps.
Our starters were almost entirely enjoyed, with the exception of our one friend, who also missed on her entree. She had a basic Caprese salad, and said the mozzarella was quite dry. But everything else - the beef carpaccio, warm French bean and potato salad, and pan-fried goat cheese with beet root - was delicious.
Our mains were also almost entirely loved, with risotto with sausage the best represented at the table. One friend had the roasted and pan-fried rabbit (which clearly earned him points in our waiter's eyes, as his was the only dish which arrived with full explanation), I loved the potato and rosemary ravioli in braised oxtail sauce, and someone else happily polished off their buffalo gnocchetti with langoustines.
The only disappointment in mains was the salmon in vegetable broth with mashed potatoes, and when our friend mentioned it to the waiter, he remarked that they get complaints about it all the time. Perhaps a change in the menu - or at least a warning upon ordering - is warranted here....
The shared puddings at the table - chocolate fondant and apple fritters - were also a hit, and by that point, we were grateful the loos were located all the way downstairs (past a very lovely wine tasting room).
With friendly, professional staff and a reasonable bill (£80/couple), you can count on a repeat visit by, well, almost all of us.
Here Is The Writer : Madame B
Foreign-born Madame B thinks she's a City girl, but mostly just walks our streets checking things out and searching for the best wi-fi hotspots offered by The Cloud. You can spot her typing furiously on her shiny white MacBook, wearing dark sunglasses and drinking a glass of champagne. She's one half of the Shopaholics, which might explain things...
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