Italian in Soho

Off to a late lunch/early dinner with friends in Soho, before going on to Ronnie Scott’s. After a bit of Googling, we’ve settled on Forty Dean Street, as it’s open all day. It’s quite a small place, with a lot of character, and they are decorating it with flags for Euro 2012. Mid-afternoon it is still quite busy, but then Soho on a Saturday usually is. More surprisingly, it’s a lovely sunny day, which means they have the front of the restaurant open to the street, giving a great continental feel.

There’s quite a choice of classic Italian dishes on the main menu, plus an interesting selection on the set lunch list at £16 for two courses. Out of the seven of us, only four have starters – and then only two different ones. I had the pan-fried squid in spicy coriander sauce off the specials list – good, nicely cooked squid rings (no batter) and the sauce has quite a kick to it. The other option chosen was chicken livers with poached egg – which looked good, and was highly praised.

For mains, three of us had the chicken Milanese with spaghetti in tomato sauce. Good sized portions of chicken in a light breadcrumb covering were tasty but a little dry, so needed the spaghetti to complement it. B had the seafood risotto, which was a smaller portion, but with plenty of seafood. Other choices included a solid looking pork belly and penne gorgonzola.

Service was efficient and friendly (if a little distracted by the football at the end), so we drifted through a leisurely afternoon. At under £35 a head, a definite plus.

Desserts at Ronnie Scotts included ice-cream, a substantial sticky toffee pudding and a large cheeseboard, with an excellent aged cheddar, and a sharp stilton.