Italian

Maremma

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address: 36 Brixton Water Lane, London SW2 1PE

https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

Closed Monday and Tuesday and only open at lunchtime on Sunday – see website for details

Maremma is a place to go for a celebration as it is not cheap. We had a COVID-filled family Christmas, so when we emerged from quarantine we felt we deserved a celebration. Also, we knew it was the end of the Christmas period because we finished off the last pieces of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange. We have reviewed Maremma before (see here, here and HERE) but just as a reminder, it is all about Tuscan food. The short very Italian menu includes antipasti, primi, secondi and contourni (vegetables) and then cheese and desserts. The menu changes regularly and there are also specials – luckily we were with friends, so able to roam the menu. Spoiler alert – we enjoyed everything and ignored vegan January.

For starters we ordered spaghetti, venison carpaccio (a special), pigeon salad, and wild sea bass carpaccio. The spaghetti was no ordinary spaghetti but spaghetti alla chitarra, garlic, bottarga (literally guitar spaghetti with dried mullet). The egg pasta is square shaped and thicker than spaghetti that comes dried or in tins. The two carpaccios came with a little rocket for a small dose of pepper and the venison also had a dollop of very tasty sauce (unknown as it was a special). The pigeon salad came with radicchio, pomegranate, hazelnuts and looked substantial as did the spaghetti. But it was empty plates all round and our photos show that we were very keen to get stuck in.

For the main course we had a blowout with – Cacciucco maremmano (Tuscan fish stew with cuttlefish, prawns, mussels & grey mullet), a couple of portions of the rabbit (braised rabbit leg, taggiasche olives, and lardo) and finally pasta with a wild boar ragout. The rabbit looked a bit lonely so we ordered crispy potatoes and aioli. Everything was scrumptious and again there were empty plates. No one (and we are a picky bunch) had any complaints and the rabbit scored the most compliments.

We couldn’t decide whether to have dessert – we were pretty full so it was two espressos, an affogato and a portion of blood orange ice cream – sorry gelato – with a shortbread biscuit and plenty of spoons. The ice cream was smooth but the blood orange could have had a bit more flavour – it tends to be lost in cold food so it needs bumping up a bit. Coffee was of course jolting but we did order a bottle of reasonably-priced red wine (they have unreasonable ones!).

We enjoyed the company, the ambiance – we sat near the door but it wasn’t cold. It did get a bit loud towards the end of the evening but that depends on your neighbours, and one group was clearly having a great time. We enjoyed everything put in front of us and our companions are not easy to please. They are opening another branch in Clapham, so this one might be easier to book. The bill for four came to £236 (£59 per head) which included the “reasonably priced” red wine at £48. This was a treat and we were very full when we left. On Thursday and Friday they have lunch for £15 including wine, so perhaps that is the entry to this restaurant.

La Nonna

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Address: 7 Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LB 

Telephone: 02035896645

Email: ciao@lanonnaldn.com

Website: https://lanonnaldn.com/

Delivery with ubereats and deliveroo

We have tried to get a table by just dropping by and didn’t have any luck so this time we booked online for lunch. Saturday lunchtime is not so busy and there were tables (inside and out) and counter service while we were around. This is a minimalist restaurant – a few photos on the walls and a bar along the wall. It is in the space that used to be Seven. It started in a market elsewhere and moved to Brixton in the summer. The website says that the pasta is made daily with Italian zero zero flour and all the sauces are made in- house and that fresh pasta goes better with butter based sauces and fillings (they say).

They have antipasti, pasta (all fresh of course) dolci (desserts) and even a kids meal section. We chose some foccacia and polpettine di melanzane con bagnacauda di peperoni (aubergine balls with pepper sauce). The foccacia was crispy and salty on the outside and came with olive oil and we wished we had had more to dip into. The aubergine was very good but mainly because the sauce was delicious – I want to know the recipe.

Then we ordered mains – ravioli a la zucca mantanova (pumpkin, leek and ricotta ravioli, with sage butter and 24 month parmesan) see above, and below is Cozze e N’duja tagliolini al nero di seppia (nduja, mussels, anchovy pepper sauce, breadcrumbs). The ravioli were really good and the sauce incredibly rich and delicious, but, not advertised on the menu, was a crumb of biscuit so it was incredibly sweet. The Parmesan was very sparse so I asked for more.

The black pasta with mussels was fantastic – salt might be added as the only salt is the anchovy in the sauce – but that is a little niggle.

We drank the house red and a blood orange San Pellegrino – water came from the tap. The food came to £32.75 and because i was not at all keen on the biscuit addition to the pasta, they offered a free dessert, but by that stage we were too full. We can’t remember what the drinks cost. We will be going back, but will choose wisely and check for potential sweet additions to the pasta mains.

Maremma

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address: 36 Brixton Water Lane, London SW2 1PE

https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

We visited Maremma in a brief flurry of going out to dinner earlier this year. We have reviewed it before (see here and here) but just as a reminder, it is all about Tuscan food. They have a short very Italian menu with antipasti, primi, secondi and contourni (vegetables) and then cheese and desserts. We found these photographs on a phone we hardly use, and are stretching our memory to work out what each of them was. The menu changes regularly, so it wouldn’t be that much help, so we are just providing you with some notes. We do remember that it was all good.

As you can see we ordered pasta with seafood, pasta with a ragout and tortellini – all scrumptious. Note that we dived into some of the dishes before remembering our duty to our readers to take photographs. The first photograph after the pasta is a bit baffling – possibly an Italian gaspacho, but I know we ate it all! We did also try for some beef and vegetables, followed by desserts.

We all had a good time, but now have lost the bill. Our advice is to try this place as a treat, as it is expensive especially with cocktails, but the food has never disappointed us.

Pizza Brixton – takeaway

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105 Brixton Hill, SW2 1AA

phone: 020 3417 0471

website: http://www.pizzabrixton.co.uk/

Opening times:

Sun – Sat 12:00 – 23:00

Another week of lockdown 3.0 and we were still on the lookout for a new experience. Also the end of Italian week. We ended up with pizza! This place has a good score on Deliveroo and we hadn’t tried it for a while. We reviewed it some time ago (see here). The menu is certainly a little different to the run of the mill. As well as the margherita, napoli, marinara and funghi, they also had pistacchio, caramellata and salsiccia and porcini.

We chose a the salsiccia (tomato sauce, mozzarella fior di latte, Italian sausage, porcini mushrooms, grana padano, basil) and the pistacchio (mozzarella fior di latte, crema di pistacchio, mortadella, crushed pistachios, basil) – look carefully if you are vegetarian – the little symbols have a key at the bottom of the menu.

The pistacchio one was definitely nutty and the basil was a great smell and taste. I am not fond of mortadella, but it was good on the reheated portion the next day.

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The salsiccia version was lovely – hot occasionally with a bite of of the Italian sausage and the rounded taste of the mushrooms.

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You can see that they are not so particular about having them perfectly round, but I suppose it gives them more of a artisan look. Anyway, we enjoyed them both, but mostly on the following day. The reason was they were a little burnt on one side and we ate that one on the first day leaving the softer, less carbonised pieces to the next day. We know a pizza oven can be a little unpredictable but …. check the underside before tucking in.

The bill, without any drinks and before adding a tip, came to £29.71, good value when you have leftovers.

Italian week during lockdown.

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We are trying to improve our culinary creativity by concentrating on a specific country’s cuisine and doing our best with the ingredients provided in Brixton. We are following up our Maremma takeaway (see here) by going for Italian. The first offering in “Italian week” was designed by happen chance – you agree to all the substitutions in the online shopping and then discover that you now have not a standard sized haggis but the jumbo one. This fed us on Burns night, with some going to neighbours and family (no contact delivery nearby of course) but we still had some leftover so, after the haggis toastie, we invented “Left-over haggis with rigatoni”. Which was delicious with the added tomato and impossible to eat without a glass of red wine.

Our latest box from En Root (see here for details) contained aubergines this week and with the excellent Lidl parmesan we were able to produce “Melanzana Parmigiana” (Aubergine Parmesan) with some culture clashing patatas bravas and beans.

One of the favourites of the week was produced from the “Friends of Mine” Italian delicatessen in Coldharbour Lane. They sell large bags of coffee beans and an array of wine, cheese and pastries. We cought our Pasta di Semola di Grana Duro con vino Barolo – Pink pasta – and matched it with a mushroom cream sauce.

But towards the end of the week and in the current rainy weather you need something hearty and we did have a lot of leftover veg. So we made a sort of Italian vegetable soup – but not a classic minestrone. We used the stuff in the fridge plus home-made pesto and again some leftover rigatoni. Warming and delicious and surprisingly vegan, apart from the Parmesan of course.

Maremma – special delivery

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36 Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 1PE

Tel no: 020 3186 4011

email: info@maremmarestaurant.com

Internet: https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

For a special occasion – New Year’s Eve – we ordered the special menu from Maremma. We were already fans for both the eat-in and at home options – see here, here and here. The menu isn’t on offer all the time, but I am sure the dishes will reappear. The meal was definitely a special event, four courses, so not for everyday munchies. But Valentine’s day is approaching so perhaps that is the opportunity for a special romantic meal at home, but you will need to get in quick.
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Franzina Trattoria – Delivery

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Address: 395 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LQ

Deliveroo: https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/london/brixton/franzina-trattoria-brixton

Website: https://franzinatrattoria.com/

Given the current Covid restriction of Tier 2, we are still having takeaways and were really pleased that Franzina Trattoria in Coldharbour Lane had click and collect, and delivery options. Despite it being relatively close, we still ordered through Deliveroo (Uber Eats also available). See our earlier eat-in review here.

This is a Sicilian restaurant and the menu consists of Piattini (small plates – you can actually buy the sicilian plates on the website), salads, fresh made tagliatelle with sauces and doci – puds. The Delivery menu is a little different to the eat-in version, but had plenty of options. For starters we chose Crocche – fried vegetable balls and caponata Siciliana. The menu promised two crocche each of three types – “potato, lemon, mint and basil. Aubergine, caciocavallo cheese and mint. Zucchini, pecorino cheese and basil”. The Caponata Siciliana is described as sweet and sour aubergine salad with tomatoes, nocellara olives, capers, celery and onions.

We ended up with eight crocche but there were only two sorts and, to be honest, it wasn’t clear to us which ones. One was just a chip and the other was pretty anonymous. So, these were a little disappointing. But this was definitely a starter in two halves, as the Caponata was fabulous. We could have eaten this by the bucket full and will definitely order again. It really does need some bread and luckily we had some, but next time we will also order some proper Italian bread with this meal.

This was followed by two types of pasta – Conchiglie con Salsiccia (described as conchiglie with with wild fennel sausage in a peppery tomoato sauce with pecorino cheese). Google describes the pasta as seashells. We also ordered Orecchiette al Pesto Trapanese (with fresh datterino tomatoes, basil, mint, pistachios, almonds, chili and lemon zest, topped with salty ricotta cheese). This pasta is sort of like little ears.

The Orecchiette were crunchy and spicy and a warm chili and nutty delight. The Conchiglie was also wonderful with a peppery warmth. The pictures shows them as quite distinct and they arrived not too steamed, so not al dente which pleased me as I’m not keen on any pasta crunch. However, we did have a lot leftover and microwaved it the next day. It was still wonderful to taste, but unfortunately over-cooked and we actually had a hard job distinguishing them. So our advice for the best experience is to wolf it all down in one sitting.

Finally – again eyes bigger than stomach moment – we ordered one portion of Baba al Masala con Panna. It was sweet and sticky, and we were glad that we only ordered one. We could have done with more “panna” and a little bit more marsala. But there was no crumb left at the end of the meal.

What did we think – we liked much of it, but not all (mainly the vegetable balls). That may be our fault. The best traveled dishes were the cold ones, but the pasta certainly managed the distance from their kitchen to our door without moving too far beyound the ‘al dente’ stage.

We are now beginning to understand the science of delivered food. Chips are soggy, no matter how brief the trip from the restaurant, unless of course they are the thin, very crispy type. Many dishes that were taken out of the oven just in time, arrive just a little overdone. We will definitely order from Franzina again with a very large serving of Caponata. Cost of the meal for two (with enough pasta leftovers for a meal the following day, but no alcohol) was £42, including Deliveroo fees and a tip for the rider.

UPDATE: We are now reliably informed that microwaving pasta is not the best way of reheating it – on top of the stove and lightly fry or put it in the oven.

Domino’s Pizza – the Quarantine weeks

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Website: https://www.dominos.co.uk/deals/storedeals

Address: 328 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8QH

Phone: 020 7737 0000

Domino’s didn’t do so well in our previous pizza challenge (see here) but subsequent comments suggested that it had been under-rated. Anyway, we were craving some on a Friday night and decided to give it another go. It had to be a delivery, as we are just emerging from quarantine and still taking things really carefully.

The menu is reduced but actually it makes it much easier to choose and there seem to be all the favourites. We chose a large (13.5) Veggie Supreme and a large (13.5 again!) American Hot. And here they are.

Even when we finished they didn’t look very different, as we only managed about a third of each. Delivery does bring out the “eyes much bigger than stomachs” in me. On the bright side we have lunch and breakfast for the next two days.

My Veggie was delicious and somehow despite the cheese I felt virtuous even while I was dipping the crust in the garlic sauce. The American hot was well received as well, with good pepperoni and enough chilli to make it interesting. Apologies for the poor quality picture though.

It was good and inexpensive as the deal is £10.99 for any large pizza so £21.98 for the two pizzas and whatever you decide to tip the delivery guy. There are lots more deals too and we definitely think a large is enough for two no matter how hungry you are.

Maremma – take away time

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36 Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 1PE

Tel no: 020 3186 4011

email: info@maremmarestaurant.com

Internet: https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

This local Italian (Tuscan) restaurant opened not so long ago and we reviewed a visit here. It is difficult to book, probably because we saw it had a rave review in the TAP in-flight magazine, back in those heady days when air travel was acceptable. Now you don’t have to wait, as they do takeaways. But from here it gets complicated and we suggest you go to their website to check, in case it’s changed. Continue reading →

Maremma

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36 Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 1PE

Tel no: 020 3186 4011

email: info@maremmarestaurant.com

Internet: https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

This is a new joint in town, near to Naughty Piglets and Hottananny in an area that seems to have had a peppered history of restaurants opening and closing. But this one seemed to be booming after just a couple of weeks of a soft launch. By booming we need to stress – book in advance. We went at lunchtime on Saturday and were lucky to find a perch. Maremma is on a corner, where the Montego Inn used to be, so has lots of light, but of course, there is only so much room for a bar and tables. They have squeezed in additional seating with bar style counter seats that are fine, as long as there are only two in the party. Downstairs offers more traditional style dining with tables and chairs. Bare tables and tops but linen napkins, so you know this place will be expensive.

The name Maremma is chosen after an unspoilt region of Tuscany and the restaurant offers regional and seasonal specialties, including fresh pasta.  There are starters (vegetarian and meat options), primi (mainly pasta) and secundi (larger plates). We chose a starter and primi and were so stuffed we couldn’t even consider the desserts. Our starters were octopus and fava puree and beef battuta (like beef tartar). The octopus was nice and charred mostly, although the fat end was a little chewy, and the beef needed a little salt which came in a small pot.

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Next we had the squid risotto and a regional specialty of a chickpea pancake with three different kinds of artichoke. The risotto was brilliant – with plenty of seafood and the addition of the lemon zest a particular joy. The chickpea pancake was “interesting” and most was eaten. The garlic chips were really tasty but the artichoke hearts came with some very hard leaves making it impossible to cut and most was left on the side (a complaint to the waitress produced no response from the kitchen, but it is early days). We added a bread selection – the foccacia was very good and a side dish of spinach.

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Water came straight away and there was a choice of still or sparkling.We washed everything down with a carafe of Tuscan wine (375ml or half a bottle). There was a good choice at very reasonable cost. Our bill for two people came to £86.08 including service. They helpfully divide the bill to show what each guest should pay on the bill, which prevents the rush to the phone calculator. It was expensive for lunch but we would return for dinner. The food was good but we are not raving about it until we have tasted more.