Review: Gatti's Ristorante, City Point

A beast of a menu was on offer for Zomato's meet up courtesy of Gatti's, mainly known to myself as 'the Italian restaurant near Broadgate Circle that I always walk past to get home but never quite remember to stop and look at the menu'.

Gatti's has recently opened a new branch in the office-centric location that is Moorgate which seems ideal.

Welcomed with lobster and avocado blinis; salmon and cream cheese blinis; and a couple of champagnes, the unsuspecting exterior can be mistaken for, well, anything but a restaurant, but give it a go. The place used to be a nightclub so you can imagine how it used to be set up, but that means, downstairs there is a wondrous room filled with a dance floor of booth seating, small round tables and a small bar, with the kitchen tucked away.

A selection of bruschetta - cured ham and artichoke, Percini mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes with basil. Not being a fan of mushrooms, I had it anyway and wasn't completely disgusted by it. I thought the flavours of each complemented the bread very well. 

Those breadsticks aren't just for decoration...

This had to be my joint favourite of the menu - Rigatoni al Pomodoro di Campagna. Simply divine. The pasta was cooked to perfection - it wasn't just al dente, it was fresh, soft but strong. You can really taste the freshness of the whole dish with the organic tomatoes. I would eat this everyday if I could.   

Here comes the main attraction...

Branzine al Sale, also known as, baked whole sea bass in salt crust. Just look at that! If only you could smell it too. 

This is how I like my fish - cooked whole. The presentation of it got us all rushing over like paparazzi. 

The fish is served. This is my other joint favourite. The sea bass had just the right amount of salt and almost melted in my mouth. Strangely, the basil sauce was quite addictive and reminded me of garden peas.

A break of lemon and prosecco sorbet. One must. 

Our fantastic host.

I spy some meat

By this point I was getting pretty full, but I got as far as I could with this meaty roast, or as the Italians like to call it  - Costata di Manzo arrosto. The Scotch rib of beef I was served was perhaps a bit too rare for my personal taste but the gravy that came with it was lovely. Not too thick and not too runny and most importantly not too salty, just the right amount of flavour.  As a Yorkshire gal, I was also very impressed with the Yorkshire puds - delightfully homemade. Almost as good as mine ;)

OK, so by this point, I was almost unconscious with the amazing food  I had just gobbled up. I did try the Dolce dello Chef selection - home made tiramisu, panna cotta with winter berries, cheesecake and profiterole. If I was picking one of these as a whole dessert I would go for cheesecake - which was really light and had a crunchy biscuit base. I don't like coffee and not keen on panna cotta but you can sense that everything is made to perfection. 

The service from the staff was exceptional - the chefs are all real Italians and it had a very 'home feel' to the place - including the decor. It felt as though we had just invited ourselves round for dinner which makes you feel at ease all at once and not worried about the food they served up. Gatti's really stepped up in terms of Italian dining for me, it really was some of the best Italian foods I had eaten in London. The prices seem reasonable, especially when you know you will be served with the most attentive, friendly and genuine staff. They even gave us a gorgeous Limoncello at the end (they also have Frangelico - I checked. Apparently served with lemon).

I would say this is an 'in-between' restaurant - a classier joint without the extortionate prices, it's obviously a slightly more fancy and dearer place than your average meal out, but you pay what is rightly deserved. The food was exceptional.

The only thing now is for them to open at the weekends if there is enough demand for it, and I'll be there!

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

Review: Bread St Kitchen

Sunday Roasts.

Enough said.

Another mission of mine whilst living in London is to find the best Sunday Dinner.

So far, The Princess of Shoreditch has given me the best 'special occasion' Sunday dinner, and The Water Poet does a lovely veggie roast (okay, so it's probably the only veggie roast dinner I've had, but as a meat eater I thoroughly enjoyed it so that must speak volumes, right?).

Bread St Kitchen at One New Change by Gordo Ramsay himself was a lovely little place to hang out on a Sunday. The first impression of it doesn't quite give it the justice it deserves, 'ooh yes it's fancy', 'Gordon Ramsay ay?' but once inside it's decked out very casually and quirky (like the hanging wires of the lightbulbs over the open ceiling work and vintage lamps), I think the East-ish side of the location probably had an influence. On Sundays, they have live music which was perfect to relax in with a glass of red and bread.

The atmosphere was relaxed and airy. Families (kids get special offers), the elderly, the young uns. The staff were also very friendly, helpful but not in your face.

Most importantly, I got 2 Yorkshire puddings with my beef roast, Friend had the chicken, and I devoured it all including the bread and even had room for a Rasberry Parfait - which was so light and refreshing.

The food quality is probably worth its price tag - I mean it's not the most expensive meal I've had, but I wouldn't call it on a budget. But overall, I would definitely come again, even try out the bar downstairs. Nice little place to hang out at the weekend - it's not full of City workers for one thing, so you're certain to get a seat.

4 out of 5