What can you tell me about Antico?
Antico is an Italian restaurant in 'hotter than hot' Bermondsey Street, which has seen massive re-generation, and with it a rise in the quality of restaurants, sparked off as soon as plans for The Shard building at London Bridge were put in place. Nearby Maltby Street market has also been leading the way for quality produce, making this one of the finest parts of London for those who think about food and drink from the moment they wake up. Owned by Nick Crispini, they serve 'rustic Italian cuisine', with a strong focus on freshly made pastas.
Where should we meet?
In the evenings the bar below is the sensible option, with live acoustic music every Wednesday, and 'aperitivo hour' running from 5-7pm, allowing you to knock back a couple of glasses of fine Aperol spritz (ice quality is worthy of the best cocktail bars).
Who's it suitable for?
Ideal for lucky Bermondsey residents who want another independent restaurant that gives a fig about what it's doing.
Where should I sit?
Grab a table by the window for a great view of the restaurant, and a few glimpses of the kitchen beyond.
What should I order?
Kick off with some green Nocerella olives and freshly made bouncy focaccia (£4), then dive into a few palate wakeners. We tried some excellent creamy Burrata with super-ripe black figs, quality Prosciutto di Parma (£9), with an uplifting couple of mint leaves, a cute twist. A refreshing salad of shaved fennel, orange, rocket and toasted Marcona almonds is a good pick-me-up Halibut fritti (£6) with fresh chilli read like a dream, although the slabs of excellent fish weren't fried to crispness as expected - accompanying caper aïoli was fantastic, punchy and sharp.
Star of the pastas was some wonderful tortelloni filled with slow roasted pork shoulder and sage butter (£13), closely followed by prawn linguini with cherry tomatoes and garlic - plenty of parsley 'zing'. Game dishes are featuring at the moment with daily changing specials, and the day we were they they offered a venison ragú with pancetta and fazzoletti pasta (£15), also boasting top drawer pasta ribbons. They will be putting on a grouse risotto on some days too. Risotto of monkfish (£14) was a bit soupy, but the rice was spot on.
Larger dishes we didn't try include pan roasted wild sea bream (£15), "Bolton Abbey" roasted lamb rump, caponata, mint oil (£18), and calves liver, prosciutto, sage, spinach and salsify (£17).
What should we drink?
The wine list is put together with the help of Italian wine specialists Wine Traders, a tight list that is easy to navigate. Starting with Sicilian white and red from Terra Firma (£18), the list takes in a couple of big hitters with the legendary Mascarello and their Nebbiolo (£52), and the iconic Tignanello 2008 from Antinori (£100). Quality Soave Classico is represented by the reliable Inama and their 'Vigneti di Foscarino' 2009 (£44). An antidote to the 'anti-social' restaurant wine list, the list won't eat into your chatter too much when a wine bore (like me) seizes the list from your hands. We tried a glass each of fleshy and ripe Fiano from Terredora (£32 a bottle), and a ballsy Morellino di Scansano (£34 a bottle). Start with a few well made spritzes. A Negroni if you're wanting to get off to a flyer.
Overall thoughts?
Another decent addition to a strip that is already spoilt for options, with José Pizarro's two restaurants, Village East, The Garrison and Zucca all moments away. Anyone who loves their food and bought into Bermondsey fifteen years ago will be chuckling into their pappardelle.
Antico, 214 Bermondsey Street , London, SE1 3TQ - Tel 020 7407 4682
Follow Zeren Wilson on twitter at @bittenwritten and on his blog Bitten & Written
Hot Dinners was invited to Antico. Prices were correct at time of writing.
