Right in the heart of Soho is where you'll find this new late-night pasta bar
What do we need to know about 27 Old Compton Street?
The clue is in the name; this is the latest opening from Nima Safaei, the restaurateur who's also behind the similarly named 40 Dean Street and 64 Old Compton Street. As with his other two Soho restaurants, this one also focuses on Italian food, but there is one key difference. While the other two are more of a book ahead, sit down for a leisurely lunch or dinner place, 27 Old Compton Street's intended to be more of a drop-in spot - somewhere for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine pre or post-theatre perhaps? Or maybe as a late night drop in (as it's open until 1am at the weekends).
Where is it?
We'll assume you're joking, right? But the nearest tubes would probably be either Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus.
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
As you're in the middle of Soho, you're surrounded with great places to drink - but good luck getting into any of them at the weekend. Nearby places we'd recommend would be Swift where the cocktails are exemplary and not too pricey. And of course, there's the Devonshire which is about a five-minute walk away.
Where should we sit?
The restaurant is pretty small, but there is room on both the ground and lower ground floor, whether you're dining a deux or in a larger group. The best tables of all are in the cellar alcoves downstairs which are semi-private areas for 8-10 and four respectively. Those can be booked too, direct with the restaurant.
The upstairs dining room at 27 Old Compton Street
What's on the menu?
As this is a pasta bar, modelled on the ‘tavola calda’ concept of a quick but good quality fast food spot, pasta is at the heart of the menu. There are 12 fresh pasta dishes (13 if you include the lasagna along with a smattering of small bites to start.
We gave the menu a fairly good going over, so here's what we had, kicking off with the 'small bites' section:
Cacio e Pepe Arancini with Parmesan Cream £6.50
Crispy Courgette Fries £3.50 - can we spend a moment talking about that price, almost a fiver cheaper than this dish would be at nearby Polpo or the Ivy Grill and every bit as delicious. A total London bargain.
Then we dived into the oven-baked and fresh pasta section of the menu:
Mushroom & Truffle Lasagne £11.90 - one of our favourite dishes of the night. The brownest of dishes but also the one with the deepest flavours.
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe £10.90 - finished off and plated by the chef just a few feet away from us.
Pumpkin ravioli with sage butter and parmesan (£12) - we saw quite a lot of Disaronno going into this sauce, which we approve of.
Black crab tortelloni with tomato & basil sauce (£14) - another cracking pasta option. At this price, you might have thought it would only be faintly crabby; you'd be wrong.
What's on the menu for vegetarians and vegans?
You've picked a great spot if you're looking for plant-forward dishes with all three of the oven-baked dishes and a vegan gnocchi and maccheroni vodka suitable for vegetarians, along with a porcini and truffle risotto.
Burrata & aubergine with sweet cherry tomatoes and pesto £7.50 - a belter from the small bites section which would easily be a decent-sized main for one.
Rustici pesto with cavolo nero, pistachio and pin nuts (£10.90)
Room for dessert?
There's only one dessert option but, and we can't stress this highly enough, do not leave without ordering it.
Mini doughnuts with a pistachio, hazelnut & chocolate cream filling (£5.50) - freshly fried dough balls of heaven.
What's on the drinks list?
In addition to an all-Italian wine list where prices start as low as £5 for a glass (have we gone back to the Noughties?!), there's a tight list of six Italian-influenced cocktails (and three mocktails).
Vecchio Amore (£10.50) - made with Vecchia Romagna, Amaro Averna, Frangelico & Bitters
Overall thoughts:
At a time when eating out in London can be a stratospherically expensive (not to mention sometimes disappointing) affair, it's like a warm hug from an Italian nonna to find somewhere in London that offers great food at genuinely reasonable prices. Soho deserves loads more in the mould of 27 Old Compton Street, but while we wait for those to appear, this opening is definitely one to celebrate. Swing by for some arancini and an Americano, or a bowl of those amazing courgette fries, followed by some pasta and you'll feel that - for a brief moment - all is well with the world again.
More about 27 Old Compton Street
Where is it? 27 Old Compton Street, London W1D 5JP
How to book? Book a table upstairs on OpenTable. The downstairs floor is walk-ins only.
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @27oldcomptonstreet
Hot Dinners dined as guests of 27 Old Compton Street. Prices correct at time of publication
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