Mennula is a new Sicilian place on the Charlotte St gastrostrip in borderline fashionable Noho. Amongst so many restaurants, it stands out by excelling in the holy trinity of quality, authenticity and specificity. No generic Italianorama here. Sicilian is a colourful cuisine, which melds an Italian base with Arab and Greek influences. Sounds delicious? I agree.
The restaurant itself is tiny and rather sweet - the single room is light and airy and smartly decorated. On this Sunday lunchtime, we were one of three occupied tables, which made the place about half full. The seats were comfortable, as was the atmosphere - even the piped Amy Winehouse made the chatter from the nearby table less noticable. I'm getting ever more grumpy about noise. Early-onset curmudgeon.
Unfortunately, the tasting menu was unavailable on the day, but there is a reasonably priced set menu. We decided, however, on the a la carte, which is set out in the traditional Italian style of antipasti, primi, secondi and desserts. Daunted by the prospect of 4 courses apiece, an agreement was made to order a feast of starters and pastas to start, then individual main courses.
Thank god, frankly, as the nibbles and bread were extravagant - olives,
rosemary almonds and the quintessentially Sicilian mozzarella arancini
(fried rice balls). The bread board was equally lavish, a symphony of breadsticks, brown rye,
olive and tomato focaccia with good olive oil.
While we wait for the antipasti to arrive, I must say a word on the staff, who were charming and had no trace of bustle or snottiness. Questions were answered competently, and smiles always returned. The manager, Angelo, and waitress took good care of my ostrich egg (a birthday present from my dear friends and dining companions) and even whimsically placed it on the counter by the flower arrangement for the simple reason it looked rather good there (see bottom of review).
In the event, the strategy of restraint (which is generally risky and not one I typically favour) paid off and the antipasti/pastas proved more than enough for 4 people. The first to arrive, a salad of wild mushrooms with chili had the right amount of garlic and butter to let the generous piles of morels and assorted fruits du foret sing, though the salt was heavy handed. A crab salad with avocado and grapefruit was a fresh and delicate but not hugely remarkable.
On the pasta side, we had ravioli and bucatini. The bucatini (thick, hollow spaghetti) with sardines, fennel,
saffron and sultanas was the greatest success: a tremendous combination of flavours, fragrant and bold. Unspoken negotiations had to be held to arrange who would have the final bites.
The seabass ravioli were good but far less vibrant. The fish mousse was set firmly in the crescent parcels, laid on a smear of pumpkin sauce which was tasty but not strikingly apt and sprinkled with sliced razor
clams which didn't noticeably contribute to the dish. I really can't wait for
the smearing fad to be over.
The main courses showed off the chef's talent with bolder flavours. My main course of rabbit wrapped in pancetta suffered from the smear campaign, this time a bland and pointless aubergine puree. The meat, however, was ultra succulent. All accompaniments were well thought out, taking admirable restraint with the sweeter notes. Thus, savoy cabbage with fresh carrot spaghetti, a marsala sauce and a scattering of pine nuts and sultanas.
The results of my plate banditry showed equally successful results - particularly the chunk of dauphinoise which incorporated layers of succulent roast lamb that came with my companion's pistachio crusted lamb chops.
The lamb dish also came with monksbeard, my new favourite vegetable (that I tried at Bocca di Lupo). It wasn't offered as a separate side but I asked for it anyway. It was fantastic, of course, though the diced shallots with it took away from the freshness - in contrast to Bocca's simpler serving with butter and lemon. Nevertheless, I was so pleased they had the veg at all that the manager quite seriously offered me a further helping. However, one must never risk having no room for pudding. I've learned my lesson.
In fact, pudding was the least successful course of the three, four, or however many we were up to now. The puffy sfinci (small doughnuts) were paper-light and elegantly presented on a black slate, but the 'cinnamon cream' that flowed from them was neither discernibly cinnamony or creamy - more like condensed milk. To put honey on top of this was far too much and the sesame seeds which were adorably scattered over the slate could have added a nutty crunch, but were untoasted and sadly added no flavour at all. However, the boule of almond semifreddo on the side was rather nice. In my case, the lovely staff put a candle in - I must be running down London's Italian eateries' supply.
Finally, a thick espresso with amaretti and cantuccini rounded the meal off to a tee.
The food's not cheap here - about £45pp for 3 courses, coffee and 2 soft drinks. I judged it by accordingly high standards and, by and large, it met them with aplomb. A lovely place for a low-key, high-cuisine meal. One to watch.
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