Soho seems to be showing no signs of slowing down with its openings. It’s become a mecca for foodies, but when will it stop and when will it crash? No one is talking about it but surely at the rate of openings right now, every single area in London is soon to be selling nothing but food and we’ll all be the size of houses. One of Soho’s newest additions, taking over the previous site of Pulcinella on Old Compton Street is Rustiko and as the name sounds, it’s very rustic – from the décor right through to the food. Admittedly the website needs a lot of work but the place itself does have it charms. The staff are lovely, the simple setting is perfect for dinner and drinks without being fussy and the food is mostly good value. There’s seating on the ground floor as you walk in, both inside and outside, continuing its way upstairs. There’s even soon to be a late night bar downstairs for continuing the evening, which could turn out to be a fab little place hidden away from the passing crowds.
Rustiko serves a menu of Italian classics and one thing they do very well, is small plates. On the menu here they’re known as ‘pots & mug’s. With a couple of delicious Negroni’s in hand, first out was The Rustiko meatballs which had a moorish texture, being firm and meaty but still crumbly at the same time. The tomato base sauce had a lovely depth too and a rich meaty taste which left you spooning the sauce up long after the meatballss were gone. It got better still with some golden crunchy chicken croquettes with mozzarella, parmesan and parsley, followed by my favourite dish of our whole meal – crispy calamari with a rosemary and chilli salt. The calamari was so well cooked and the light dusting of batter was full of flavour and so perfectly seasoned. Rustiko should seriously considering turning into an Italian tapas focused restaurant because it does them all so well.
Less successful was the pizza. I’m not even sure I’d class it as a pizza even. It was more like a flat bread. Sadly this wasn’t cooked in a smokey pizza oven, but grilled – resulting in an undercooked base. The Pizza Rustiko was topped with sausage, tomato sauce, potato, red onion and mozzarella. A pleasant enough dish but if I was Rustiko I wouldn’t be serving pizza unless it gets a little more serious because local competition is stiff. The toppings weren’t evenly spread too, leaving the outer edges a little naked.
Much more successful however was our meaty main. Lamb chops served with polenta chips, salad and balsamic vinaigrette for dipping, with I loved. The chops were beautifully cooked and had lots of flavour, but I’d like to have known they were of the more rustic loin type. The side of polenta chips were heavenly, perfectly golden and very well seasoned. Yet another reason why these guys should focus on those small tapas because they just get them so right.
Barely room for dessert we finished up on a cocktail or two more and made our way into the night. Rustiko is how the name suggests – rustic. While the food isn’t going to be the best you’ll find in Soho its simple offering is sometimes just what you want before an evening out or lazy Sunday afternoon – especially over a few too many of those ‘pots & mugs’ which are far too addictive and a reason to return alone, but the grilled pizza – it needs to go.
I was invited to review
