Sunday in Soho? What could be nicer, and a nice change from Sunday Roast. Nick finds his stomach isn’t bottomless, but he had a good time stressing it out.
When I was a kid, a birthday treat was visiting Hamley’s in Regent Street to pick out one, reasonably priced toy. I loved it, but what I liked even more was having something to eat later in Spaghetti House. It’s hard for people born later to appreciate what it was like to have exotic food as a kid.
Sadly now Spaghetti House has gone, we walked past its shuttered remains on the way to Bocconcino, but in Bocconcino something of Spag House’s warm spirit has been reborn.
Pizza and pasta in a nice friendly environment, with fast service and reasonable prices
And now, a Sunday feast that’s available every Sunday from 1pm to 3.30pm, a bottomless brunch that we found defeated us, in the nicest possible way. All the pasta and pizza you can eat is a bit of a two edged sword because most humans can’t eat that much.
Still, it was well worth trying.
It’s a really nice room; large without feeling cavernous and very attractively decked out. The sort of place that’s ideal for groups and indeed there was one there when we arrived and already in the party spirit. So I asked to be seated a little way away, I am not a killjoy but I could see they were going to get noisier. Especially when the DJ came on. Which is again, fine.
Anyhoo. The Brunch. The deal is a big plate of Italian antipasti first, with mozzarella, arancini, tomato and stracciatella bruschetta, pickled vegetables, mixed olives, a selection of Italian salumi and carasau bread.
This was generous and we piled in eagerly, having of course skipped breakfast in preperation. Nothing was unlikeable, not even the pickled cauliflower, and we happily went through it at pace.
The ‘bottomless’ also applies to Prosecco, but we ‘kicked it up a notch’ as Jamie would say by paying a few quid more for unlimited Aperol and Luxardo Limoncello Spritz. I do like Aperol, that bitterness makes me happy.
With plates cleared, we chose our pasta. I do enjoy a Carbonara made properly with pigs’ cheeks, (guanciale), eggs, Pecorino Romano and black pepper. I make it at home a lot, albeit with boring old pancetta. I seem to have mastered the art of not scrambling the eggs.
Obviously Bocconcino has too, although I thought there was perhaps a bit too much egg as it pooled at the bottom of the fabulously coloured plates that we both really wanted to steal (we didn’t). The guanciale was semi crispy and saline, the pasta tubes just right, cooked just under al dente so they could soften as they absorbed the sauce at the last minute.
The restaurant’s signature Black Truffle Tagliatelle is actually extra money, so P went for its close cousin, Pappardelle with wild mushrooms and stracciatella. Stracciatella is a stringy cheese that forms the heart of Burrata and it’s rather delicious. P loved this dish.
Although pasta portions were sensible, we were now feeling rather full. Our nice waiter encouraged us to have another pasta dish, it was after all a bottomless brunch, but we resisted and moved on to pizza.
I clocked the pizza oven going in, it looked proper and not one of those metal jobs. Gas fired, I suspect, which is okay, and with a rotating base which seems a good upgrade to ensure the pizzas are evenly cooked.
Ours came out the way I like them. There is no ‘perfect pizza’, as they vary across Italy but I like a blistered crust and a thin base almost liquid in the centre. A pizza to eat with a knife and fork. This was it.
My Diavola had all it needed; a rich tomato sauce, the right amount of mozzarella and generous amounts of spicy salami. I actually like my Diavolas a teeny bit hotter, but this was hot enough.
P had a Quattro Stagioni Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Ham, Mushrooms, Olives, Artichokes, you can’t go wrong with a Quattro. Again very nice, very large, very filling.
The DJ was on by now and the room was filling up, a good atmosphere. The nice waiter encouraged us to have another pizza each, and much as we wanted to in theory, in practice we were stuffed. So we had some more drinks instead.
My verdict ? Bocconcino is a good place for decent Italian food served in a modern relaxed style. The Sunday Brunch is a very good deal IF you eat and drink a lot, otherwise it’s still a good deal but you’re not saving all that much.
So go hungry and frighten the nice waiters!
Bottomless Prosecco is included in the £49 per person package, while guests can also opt for unlimited Aperol or Luxardo Limoncello Spritz for £56 per person.
Following Sunday brunch, guests can settle in for £7 cocktails, classic Italian spritzes and crafted drinks, paired with a selection of cicchetti from the kitchen.
Bocconcino Soho
59 Great Marlborough St, London W1F 7JY
@bocconcinolondon