Bocconcino Pizzeria brings a slice of Italian ‘sapore’ to Mayfair with the opening of its stunning restaurant on Berkeley Street, serving up authentic wood-fired pizzas, freshly-made pasta dishes and oven-baked meat and fish.
The brainchild of established restaurateur Michael Gokhner, Bocconcino Pizzeria was inspired by the vibrant flavours he experienced in Forte dei Marmi, a seaside town in Northern Tuscany. Mirroring the principles Michael learnt on his trip, his debut London restaurant takes diners on a tour of the tastes he fell in love with.
Italian comfort food cries out for comforting surroundings and Bocconcino Pizzeria balances the elegance of its Berkeley Street location with a laid back style to suit every occasion from a mid-week business dinner to a lazy family Sunday lunch. The interior is impressive without being intimidating.
Diners can choose from the open basement space accessed via a sweeping iron staircase or generous upstairs dining room with intimate alcove seating, exposed brickwork and warming shades of cream and light browns. Those heading downstairs can enjoy the drama of the open kitchen, watching pizzaiolos knead, toss and feed pizzas into the wood-fired oven; and watch barmen shake up Italian cocktails at the pendant-lit bar.
The food
Starters include burratina d’Andria con melanzane e pesto (burrata with aubergine and basil pesto); tartare di salmon con acciughe capperi e uova di quaglia (salmon tartare with anchovies, capers and quail egg); and cacciucco Toscano (fish stew, Tuscany style).
The main course includes dishes such as tagliatelle al ragu di cinghiale (wild boar ragu tagliatelle); tagiolini al nero di sepia con calamari e bottarga (black ink spaghetti with calamari and bottarga); orata al sale con patate novella (salt-baked sea bream with new potatoes); and cotoletta di vitello all Milanese (veal Milanese).
Cooked to crisp perfection in the custom built, wood-fired pizza oven, Bocconcino Pizzeria takes its namesake dishes very seriously. Toppings include their signature pizza Bocconcino with stracchino, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and Parma ham; pizza gorgonzola e pere (pear, gorgonzola) and calzone quattro formaggi e prosciutto (tomato sauce, mozzarella, stracchino, pecorino, scamorza, ham).
For dessert, die-hard pizza fans can go sweet with the decadent Pizza Dolce; or choose from dishes including cherry pannacotta, millefoglie chantilly and raspberry; or classic tiramisu.
The wine list has is exclusively Italian, taking in a mixture of well-known brands and small, artisan producers from Lombardia to Puglia. Showcased in custom made, temperature controlled wine cabinets, every bottle is served exactly as it should be. Meanwhile, the concise cocktail list celebrates Italian classics like the Bellini, Negroni and Aperol Spritz.
30% discount voucher
Giving Londoners an extra reason for some Italian indulgence, Bocconcino Pizzeria will offer diners 30% off food, available until the end of January, with a voucher downloadable upon sign-up here
Bocconcino Pizzeria, 19 Berkeley Street, W1J 8ED
Follow us on Twitter @BocconcinoUK
Find us on Facebook here
The post The new Mayfair Italian: Bocconcino Pizzeria appeared first on Hospitality & Catering News.