Taste Of Osteria at Osteria Dell'Angolo

With the new season there are always new additions to menus in order to fully enjoyed seasonal ingredients. Osteria Dell'Angolo at 47 Marsham Street, Westminster London SW1P 3DR is one of them. This little gem for food lovers is just in the heart of Westminster, it is possible to hear the Big Ben or the Queen Elizabeth Tower as it has been named recently, clocking the hours.

Chef Massimiliano Vezzi comes from Naples in the South of Italy and he brought to London the flavours and the recipes from his hometown. Massimiliano worked in the best Italian restaurants in London like " Al Duca" and "Latium" and now at Osteria Dell'Angolo he is the head chef. During an evening with a close number of food bloggers Massimiliano has introduced his latest recipes to the already well stocked menu.

The Seared Scallops with paprika, vegetables caponata and black olives has been the start of this delicious meal. I loved the deep fried onion rings on top. The scallops that generally are always quite chewy, this time were cooked to perfection, soft and full of flavours.

This tray is carrying the second starter, a yummy Sicilian Octopus Carpaccio with new potatoes, celery, carrots and lemon dressing. The octopus was wafer thin sliced and the vegetables were bringing out the flavour of the mollusk. I could have eaten the whole tray, never mind the single portion.

Third starter changed from fish to meat with this delicious home cured Beef Carpaccio served with red chard leaves, shavings of Parmesan cheese and red wine vinegar and honey. The beef has been marinated in herbs for a minimum of 24 hours cured in house by Massimiliano. The result is a mouth watering and melt in the mouth slices of flavoured beef  Carpaccio.

Bread is very important and I don't know here but in Italy we do something very naughty, especially when the condiment is to die for. We dip chunks of bread in the condiment and we call it " scarpetta" which means little shoes. Don't ask me why but I can vouch for its deliciousness. At Osteria Dell'Angolo bread, focaccia and bread sticks are made in house.Yesterday I could not resist and dutifully I've done my " scarpetta".

Pasta is another very popular Italian dish and it is what we call "Primo" or the first, because it is the main dish you eat before the meat or fish or whatever you are eating as a main course. Massimiliano Vezzi prepared Scialatielli from Sorrento with fresh crab meat and grilled courgettes. This is a recipe I'm going to try at home. Scialatielli is like short fettuccine made with flour, water and salt. They've been cooked on fish broth instead of simple water like you do when boiling normal pasta. I love pasta and here I could have eaten not one but maybe 5 of this portion.

The slow cooked suckling pig belly was our main course. Delicious served with new potatoes, spring onions, mini capers and a Vincotto sauce which is one of the signature ingredients at Osteria Dell' Angolo. Vincotto is made from slow cooking for hours non fermented grape must. What we've got as a result is a dark sweet sauce great for a lot of dishes like meat or even fruits like strawberries. The meat was exquisite, with not a hint of fat, at least I could not detect it and I am quite fussy.

The end of the meal was with a Tortino Caprese, a typical cake from the Island of Capri, made with almonds, hazelnuts and chocolate. Served with a scoop of cream ice cream it has been the perfect end to a perfect meal. If this did not tempt you enough to go and visit Osteria Dell'Angolo from the 30th of June to the 30th of September the restaurant will offer the chance to win a fabulous trip to Tuscany for two people with the opportunity to visit the famous Antinori's Bargino Cellar and taste some of the most prestigious wines. Check online at www.osteriadellangolo.co.uk to browse the menu and book a table. It is open Monday to Friday from 12pm to 3pm for lunch and Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 10.30pm for dinner.