You might not have been fortunate enough to get away on an Italian break this summer, but there are cheaper and easier ways to experience a taste of Italy than sweating away on Easyjet and hoping that there won’t be an outbreak of freakishly warm weather at your destination. Such as walking into a stylish Italian restaurant, a stone’s throw from Marylebone, and enjoying a lavishly memorable meal.
The Italian Greyhound – a fine name – is every bit as good as its continental cousins, with the Italian accent replacing the Italian-American one, and its buzzy, packed-out clientele all relishing the chance to enjoy top notch food and drink at decidedly fair prices for West London. It was a very fun night, and I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone.
But what did we order? Well, there was a cornucopia of choice, and, guided expertly by our friendly and endlessly accommodating server Helen, it was a pleasure to be able to choose such top-notch cuisine in a room which has vaguely Scandi vibes, thanks to its emphasis on light wood furnishings. Even though it was packed, it never felt oppressive or too noisy, unlike some places I could name; everything was done to a T.
We kicked off with a pair of cocktails, a very fine, refreshing gin-based raspberry and cucumber smash – a Bramble by any other name – and a palette-cleansing Clementine Margarita, while we snacked on burrata with grilled peach and some of the best focaccia I can remember sampling, and then it was into the meal proper.
I’d been tipped off that the cacio e pepe ravioli here was a thing of beauty, and the tip was correct. I’m a big fan of the old cacio e pepe and this was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, the perfect balance between the richness of the cheese and the acidity of the pepper. And gnocchi – so often a bland little parcel of nothingness – was served perfectly, with the ricotta making up the gnocchi complimented beautifully by the datterini tomatoes and basil it was served with. We opted for a Verdicchio, which was said to be ‘complex’ as a white wine – rather than ‘crisp’ or ‘aromatic’ – and were glad we did, because it cut through the pasta perfectly and made the whole thing a delight.
There were lots of points of interest on the mains – I quite liked the look of the cod, asparagus and prawn risotto – but it seemed rude not to have the tagliata to share, which was a perfectly cooked and beautifully presented piece of prime beef, and, rather generously at this price point (£37.50 each) it comes with two sides of your choice to share; the roast potatoes with rosemary and sea salt were obligatory, but the Marinda tomato salad was every bit as good, too.
The red wines offered myriad options, and Helen very sportingly offered us a little of both the Malbec and Chianti to try, of which the considerably more inexpensive Malbec won out in both flavour and value.
By now, we were feeling hors de combat, but it would have been rude not to have shared a dessert, and the custard bombolini, small doughnuts served with chocolate sauce, were just about bijou enough to be able to eat after such a fine, multi-course repast. You may not be walking away from the Italian Greyhound feeling as nimble as the eponymous canine, but for really top-notch Italian food at very fair prices, this is about as good as it gets in London at the moment.
The Italian Greyhound, 62 Seymour Street W1H 5BN. For more information, including details of the £15 ‘Pizza and Pint’ and the summer terrace, and for bookings, please visit www.theitaliangreyhound.co.uk.
