Dieci Restaurant - Italian Fine-Dining in the Heart of Marylebone

Words & Photography by Florentyna Leow and Luiz Hara

Name: Dieci Restaurant

Where: 10 Manchester Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 4DG. T: +44 (0) 207 3175 928 - http://www.diecilondon.com

Cost: £9 - £12 for starters; £7.50 - £26 for pastas; £15 - £28 for mains; £6 – 11 for desserts

About: Dieci is an Italian restaurant at No. Ten Manchester Street, a stylish boutique hotel on a quiet street in Marylebone, a stone’s throw from Baker Street or Marylebone stations. Headed by Executive Chef Cristian Gaimarri, Dieci serves up classic Italian dishes featuring seasonal local ingredients and meats and cheeses from small Italian producers.

The restaurant itself is an intimate affair: the dining area seats around 24, and the plush sofas and jazz make it a lovely place for a romantic night out. Yet this is also a popular spot for corporate meetings particularly at the cigar lounge, or more often in the cosy sampling room where you can linger over a cigar and whisky until 1 in the morning.

The Cigar Lounge

Dieci's humidor deserves a special mention – you'll be spoilt for choice with their range of fine, fragrant Havana cigars (from £14 per cigar) which even includes a few UK market exclusives. Their staff, who clearly know their stuff, will be happy to assist you in choosing a suitable cigar from the extensive cigar menu.

The impressive Cigar Humidor

What We Ate: I love it when restaurants pay attention to their bread baskets, and Dieci's surpassed my expectations. We had a decent selection of breads, including a shockingly tasty house-made foccacia with rosemary and crunchy sea salt, and slices of tomato bread which left a savoury, spicy burn at the back of the throat. We were particularly enamoured of the pane carasau, a crispy Sardinian flatbread sprinkled with rosemary and baked with olive oil. It was quite difficult to resist over-indulging with bread of this calibre.

For starters we had the Piemont fassone beef tartare served with mushroom sauté & Umbrian black truffle (£12.50) and Andrian burrata, smoked aubergine, and Bloody Mary salsa (£9.50). The beef tartare is one of their best-selling starters, and I wanted to love this but didn't quite. While the beef was well-seasoned, and showered with thick shavings of fresh and lovely Umbrian truffles, the hot sautéed mushrooms left the tartare on the warm side. I also felt that it could have been chopped less finely for improved texture, and a little more sharpness or acidity would have also helped.

The burrata, though, was divine – an unabashedly, gloriously creamy hunk of fresh cheese paired with an intensely smoky aubergine puree. You pour over a Bloody Mary salsa-sauce, which cuts through the creaminess of the burrata with a lovely hit of spiciness and acidity. A well-thought out and beautifully executed starter I'd happily eat again.

One cannot eat at an Italian restaurant and forego pasta, so we gamely ordered two – the Canadian lobster pasta (£26) and Tuscan Pici pasta with lamb ragout (£14.50). The lobster pasta was an impressive looking dish – with spaghetti drenched in a deep tomato and lobster sauce, lightly spiced with Calabrese chilli.

No matter how impressive that lobster was, it paled in comparison to the Pici pasta. The simplest dish of the night was also our unanimous favourite – a completely unassuming mound of pasta topped with a perfunctory sprig of rosemary. This was the ultimate in Italian home cooking. Each mouthful of soul-warming pasta was lightly bathed in a slow-cooked lamb ragout and Castelmagno cheese, and we were sorry when we'd finished scraping the plate clean.

Our second main courses, the oven-baked veal shank with parmigiana risotto (£30) and red-wine braised baby lamb shank (£25), were equally impressive - well-executed versions of the Italian classics, they are sure to please any red-blooded carnivore at the dinner table.

Noteworthy, however, was the meltingly rich bone marrow in the veal – so bad for your heart, but so good for your soul. Also particularly intriguing was the pasta accompanying the lamb shank.  Sardinian fregola – and not strawberries (fragole) as we originally thought – is a kind of hand-rolled pasta. In its uncooked form it looks similar to Israeli couscous, but cooks up into little sago-like cubes but much firmer and chewy in texture – very disconcerting if you're expecting a more traditional pasta, but we quickly grew to enjoy it as it soaked up the lamb shank sauce very nicely.

By this time we had room left for just one dessert, shared between us – the Sicilian Bronte pistachio semifreddo (£8.50). It was deliciously nutty and lighter than an ice cream, but a pool of melted dark chocolate gave it a dash of va-va-voom. A lovely end to what had been a rich and hearty meal.

What We Drank: Dieci sources many of their wines from small Italian producers, and we drank a superb Merlot recommended by restaurant manager Paola Gaimarri – the Just Me 2010 (£52/bottle) from di Lenardo Vineyards in the Friuli region of North Italy. It was luscious and velvety, juicy with lots of cherry notes and dangerously drinkable – possibly one of the best Italian wines we'd had in a long time.

With dessert we had the Glenmorangie Signet – a very fine whisky that went down a treat with the dark chocolate.

Likes: The restaurant’s attention to seasonal produce, which is reflected in the construction of the menu, the unusual and regional breads, pasta and cheeses, some of which were unknown to us was intriguing and educational. It was a rather cold night when we went, and comfort dishes like the Pici pasta and ossobuco were all we needed. Portions are also quite generous, and the bread basket was exceptional.

Dislikes: While the beef tartare tasted lovely we felt it a bit of a shame to have those beautiful truffles with a warm, raw beef which also lacked in texture. While the lobster was quite delicious, I found it a tad overcooked.

Verdict: Dieci is a fine addition to a group of excellent restaurants in the surrounding area (which include Pied Nus and the Royal China Club). A perfect meal here consists of burrata, the Pici pasta with lamb ragout and the pistachio semifreddo, all wash down with a bottle of "Just Me" Merlot. Highly recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Canteen

Fish and Chips @ Canteen, Baker Street

Fish and Chips have got to be one of the main reasons why I love this country so much. A fresh, chunky piece of cod deep fried in a light, crisp batter, served with hand cut chips and smothered in plenty of salt and vinegar gets my vote every time.

Interestingly, our national dish was introduced in the UK by Portuguese Jews, with the first ever chippy being opened in 1860 by a Jewish immigrant called Joseph Malin in the East End of London. The Portuguese love of all things deep fried also resulted in the introduction of tempura to Japan.

I admit I had an unfounded prejudice against Canteen – I am not sure if it was because of the sleek Wagamama-like decor, or the fact that it is now a mini-chain of four restaurants across London. But when I was invited by Jenny of Sauce Communications to an evening of “Fish and Chips” at the Baker Street branch, I decided to give it a try.

The event was hosted by Canteen’s co-founder and head chef Cass Titcombe, the author of “Great British Food”. Cass shared some of his top tips on how to prepare “Fish and Chips”, including his own batter recipe, how he fries the fish, advice on the type of potatoes to use and how to prepare chips.

All the fish used at Canteen is purchased from responsible and ethical South Coast day boats, and hence fish availability varies daily. “Fish and Chips” is priced between £10.50 and £13.50 depending on the catch of the day; these are normally cod, haddock or plaice.

We had cod and pollack deep fried in batter and also a fillet of plaice prepared in breadcrumbs. The batter was light, crisp and not greasy, and both fish were chunky and fresh tasting. Interestingly, the plaice in breadcrumbs was the most popular choice across the table.

Maris Piper is Cass’ potato of choice and his chips are double fried before being served. The chips did not disappoint – they were crisp on the outside but deliciously fluffy inside, and I could have eaten twice as many as there were on my plate.

To accompany our main courses, we were served traditional mushy peas @ £3.50. Cass added bicarbonate of soda to the marrowfat peas which were soaked for 12 hours thus helping them to retain their beautiful green colour. The tartare sauce was freshly made on the premises, tasted excellent and was a real step up from its jar equivalent.

Perusing the food menu, I was impressed to see that Canteen is an “All Day Dining” restaurant, serving breakfast through lunch, tea and dinner. In addition to “Fish and Chips”, the menu includes other British classics like “Devilled kidneys on toast” @ 7.25, “Steak and Chips” @ £16.75 (28-day aged, free range 250g rib-eye steak) and “Eton Mess” @ £5.50 among other old time favourites.

The drinks menu is well thought out and reasonably priced with wine bottles starting from £12.50. There are 5 wine options below the £20 mark in each of the white and red categories. In keeping with the British theme, three types of Meantime beers (one of my favourite London brewers) are sold on draught and are priced between £3.70 and £3.95 per pint.

Cost: this was a complimentary meal but I have quoted prices of all dishes I had. I estimate that a 3-course meal would cost in the region of £25 excluding drinks i.e. pint of prawns @ £7 + fish and chips @ £12.50 + Eton mess @ £5.50.

Likes: no-fuss British cooking, fresh, good quality ingredients, reasonably priced food & wine menus and Meantime beers on draught.

Dislikes: in my personal opinion, the decor is somewhat bland and impersonal.

Verdict – Good quality, comforting British dishes at reasonable prices in four London locations. Canteen is helping to make British cooking an appealing eating out option for locals and visitors alike. Recommended.

Seeking the Best Dim Sum in London - Royal China Club

Royal China Club

Located on soulless Baker Street, the Royal China Club (RCC) is one of the many fashionable restaurants that seem to be livening up an otherwise lacklustre street.

Part of the Royal China Group of restaurants, the Royal China Club was opened as the group’s answer to the challenge set by upmarket dim sum eateries like Hakkasan and Yauatcha, with menu prices to match.

Accompanying me on the day were Dr G and Mr Noodles who politely accepted our impromtu invitation to dim sum. The restaurant has an elegant feel with large tanks filled with lobsters and other crustacea dominating its entrance.

As well as the standard dim sum dishes the menu also contained some unusual choices like the delicious “Pan fried fillet of duck breast” @ £4.60, served in large slices on a hot sizzling plate.

Another unusual but flavoursome dish was the “Fillet of sea bass wrap” @ £4.60. Beautifully presented, the dish consisted of fillets of sea bass wrapped around crunchy vegetables in a spicy broth.

The “Shanghai pork and crab dumplings” @ £4.20 were also good, holding a fair amount of concentrated broth in a fine, translucent skin.

One of my favourite dim sum dishes is “Prawn and yellow chive dumplings” @ £3.90. I was pleased to find RCC’s dumplings to be excellent – the morsels were bursting with a generous amount of filling, they tasted fresh and had a delicious herby/garlicky flavour from the chives.

The “Bamboo pith and prawn dumpling” (har gow) @ £3.90 were beautifully pleated, and well cooked – the skin had a slightly chewy/sticky texture which is the sign of a well made har gow.

“Lobster dumpling with rice wine sauce” @ £8 was a let-down in both execution and flavour. The delicate meat was completely overwhelmed by the other ingredients, and at £8, we all felt it was overpriced.

Onto more familiar grounds, I felt that the “Baked char siu pork puff” @ £3.60 were as good as I hoped they would be. I love these puffs, and nearly always order them for dim sum. They remind me of Brazilian/Portuguese “Empadinhas” (although in our version we use prawn or chicken and sometimes palm hearts). The pastry was deliciously buttery and flaky holding the delectable and sweet char siu pork filling.

One of the most interesting dishes was the “Glutinous rice omelette with duck” @ £5. Similar to the more ubiquitous “glutinous rice in lotus leaf”, RCC’s version was novel with a thin outer layer of fried egg, and tasted delicious.

Another traditional dim sum given the RCC revamp was the “Sesame paper prawn with mango“@ £3.80. The sweet mango worked surprisingly well with the combination of prawns and coriander, giving a real lift to the dish.

Cheung fun is a “must-have” in any dim sum meal and so we ordered “Veal cheung fun” and “Dover sole cheung fun” both at @ £4.20. Despite the novel presentation, I felt both dishes were rather disappointing – in my opinion cheung fun is all about the different textures (and flavour), and I did not feel these types of meat and fish worked well against the silken rice wrappers.

The biggest disappointment however was the “Braised E-fu noodles with soya sauce” @ £9.50. The noodles were mushy and sat in an indiscernible brown sauce with little, if any, flavour.

The saving grace to a “hit-and-miss” lunch was our dessert – “Coconut moss dumplings with black sesame seed” @ £3.90. The black filling was gloriously nutty contrasting well with a delicate coconut flavoured wrapper.

To accompany our dim sum dishes we had a pot of “Tieguanyin” oolong tea (also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy) @ £4.80 which was delicately flowery and very refreshing. The tea pot was regularly topped up with freshly boiled water without us needing to ask for it.

Cost: £81.40 including 12.5% service or £27 per person.

Likes: excellent prawn and chive dumplings and glutinous rice omelette with duck dshes, novel presentation, attentive and polite service.

Dislikes: higher than average prices, some of the dishes were ambitious but did not quite deliver like the lobster dumpling and veal cheung fun.

Verdict: Good quality dim sum restaurant with high aspirations but lacking in consistency. Higher than average prices, excellent service, and elegant setting. Given the high prices and inconsistent cooking, I would rather spend an extra few pounds and go to Hakkasan. Despite this, I would still recommend RCC over the nearby Phoenix Palace where cheaper prices go hand in hand with poor quality dim sum and rude service.

Seeking the Best Dim Sum in London - Phoenix Palace

Phoenix Palace

After a disappointing dim sum experience at Royal China Bayswater (until now my gold standard dim sum venue in London) over the Christmas period, I thought I should broaden my repertoire and so recently decided to give Phoenix Palace a try.

Louise of Penguinette Cooks and a few Italian friends accompanied me to this well known Chinese restaurant in the Baker Street area. Despite our 2pm booking, we waited in the restaurant’s cramped entrance for 45 minutes before being seated.

As a table of 6, we could order a large variety of different dishes. Carefully chosen by Louise, who is a native Cantonese speaker, these were:

“Spicy baby octopus in chilli, garlic and pickled onion dressing” @ £3.80 – this was a recommendation by Mr Noodles and was indeed one of the best dishes we had – the octopus was very soft, it was also sour and sweet from the marinated sauce with a gentle burn from the chillies.

“Salty pork and black egg congee” @ £4.20 – I love congee, and this was as good as the ones I tried in many cafes in Hong Kong.

“Pork and prawn turnip cake” @ £2.60 – this was disappointing as the texture was slightly floury and there was little pork or prawn to be seen.

“Cheung fun with crispy dough stick” @ £3.40 – I normally go for prawn cheung fun, but this was a pleasant change – I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the crispy dough stick against the delicate cheung fun skin.

Some of the fried items like “Sesame prawn roll”, “Mashed prawn in soya pastry roll” and “Octopus patty with vinaigrette” all @ £3 were competently made but were rather unexciting.

“Prawn and chives dumpling” @ £3 – I always order this dish but Phoenix Palace’s was a big let down. The skin was white and very thick and filled with little if any chives or prawns. They looked like they had come straight out of the freezer.

“Shanghai dumpling with pork” @ £2.60 - this was the most disappointing item on the table – the skin was again very thick and the dumplings were completely devoid of broth. They ought to go down as the worst Shanghai dumplings I have ever eaten.

“Noodles, beef brisket with ginger and scallions” @ £7.50 – the brisket was very tender and sweet, making for a delicious dish that went well with our choices of dim sum.

“Glutinous rice in lotus leaf” @ £3.50 – these were smaller than the ones from Royal China and with an ungenerous filling. I would not recommend this at Phoenix Palace.

“Egg tarts” @ £2.60 – I am not a huge fan of these little tarts, preferring the original Portuguese “pastel de nata”. Phoenix Palace’s version had a strong taste of eggs yolk (not custard); they were lacking in sugar and were not to my taste.

“Mini onion pancake” @ £2.60 – we were expecting small, flat pancakes and were surprised when these little morsels arrived. The pastry was crisp and delicious, and filled with fried spring onions.

“Pork and prawn dumpling” @ £2.60 – these were hard and rubbery, and tasted as if they had been sitting on the steamer for a few hours.

“Char siu pork bun” @ £2.60 – these were surprisingly light and with a delicious filling of char siu pork.

“Black sesame glutinous ball” £2.80 – the glutinous outer layer was a tad thick on these sweets although I enjoyed both the texture and nutty flavour of this dessert.

Front of house staff were unfriendly and brusque – when inquiring about our table, we were simply told to “be patient”. It baffles me why the restaurant would bother taking bookings for dim sum if these cannot be honoured.

Since my visit to Phoenix Palace I read a positive review of their a la carte menu by Mr Noodles of Eat Noodles Love Noodles which made me think that standards might be better at dinner time. I hope to try this later in the year and report back.

Cost: total bill came to £75.60 (or £12.80 per person) including £9 for tea, and 12.5% service @ £8.40.

Likes: large & spacious restaurant, good central location, some recommended dishes are spicy baby octopus in chilli, garlic and pickled onion dressing, salty pork and black egg congee and cheung fun with crispy dough stick.

Dislikes: rude service particularly front-of-house staff, not honouring bookings, slightly pricier than other venues in Bayswater or Chinatown, some dishes to avoid are the Shanghai dumplings and the pork and prawn dumplings.

Verdict: Mediocre and forgettable dim sum experience, rude staff,  pricier than other similar venues. To my surprise, the place was heaving. Not recommended.