|
Take a
fresh look at the new Spaghetti House opening just in time for the
New Year at 12 Woodstock Street, W1, Tel 020 7408 0648. Part of one
of the most successful and time-honoured Italian restaurant groups in
London, this 60-seater 'ristorantino' nestled between Bond Street and
Oxford Street, breathes originality into the original concept.
Achieving stand out in a busy
market place, the makeover of the new-look Spaghetti House shows how
the group continues to evolve whilst keeping contemporary over five
decades.
The 'contemporary retro'
décor is treated with simplicity of style, using clean and
vibrant colours such as the ruby red and pistachio of the leather
upholstery against neutral walls. These, in turn, create the perfect
backdrop for the black and white framed prints with iconic scenes of
Italian lifestyle. The key colours are picked up in several details
throughout the restaurant producing movement and interest. A mixture
of leather banquettes and paysanne chairs, stone tiles and wood
flooring, long horizontal mirrors and a modern, backlit bar,
contribute to the lively, informal, urban feel of this new Spaghetti
House. Part of the ceiling is in frosted glass, which will open up in
summer.
An urban oasis where shoppers and
local workers can refuel and relax, with the informal appeal of an
Italian restaurant/caffé/pizzeria, Spaghetti House Woodstock
Street has additional private outdoor seating for 12 people in the
warmer months.
Breaking with tradition in style
but not in quality, the menu is modern Italian with traditional 'home
favourites'. Whilst pasta and stone-baked pizza remain popular, there
is a large choice of fish and meat dishes from Roast seabass at
£13.95 to Piccatine, veal slices with roast tomatoes, artichokes
and bacon at £9.95. Spaghetti ai Gamberoni - with king prawns,
white wine, garlic, chilli and rucola - is fast becoming the new
signature dish, and is on the menu at £10.60. There are also
hearty and healthy salads such as Parma Gran Riserva with Buffalo
Mozzarella at £8.85 - using 16-months matured Parma harm with
real buffalo mozzarella imported from Campania. This simple but
authentic Italian menu only uses genuine, high quality fresh
ingredients. Nothing is bought frozen and all dishes are freshly
prepared every day from fresh ingredients. Even the bread is baked
fresh twice a day before service in the traditional manner.
There is a children's menu at
£5 and for grown ups looking for a light snack, there is a good
choice of antipasti and bruschette priced between £3.25 and
£6.95, including the favourite Tomino Piemontese al Forno, a
medium soft Piemonte cheese served warm with grilled courgettes and
cranberry sauce at £4.95 With an all-Italian wine list, one can
enjoy a glass of Chardonnay Tomaresca 2005 at £4.30, right
through to a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino at £41.00.
Spaghetti House Woodstock St is
open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, from 12 noon to 11 pm
(10 pm on Sundays) and sits 60 people in the main restaurant plus 12
outside in the warm season. From Spring, Spaghetti House will extend
its opening hours to include breakfast service.
The first Spaghetti House opened
in 1955, and today the 10-strong group is still a privately owned
company where the three siblings of the original founder have a
day-to-day input. Based on the key principles of making high quality
Italian restaurant food and wine widely available, the group
continues to exude the same Italian passion for conviviality and the
friendly service of a good neighbourhood restaurant.
Spread throughout the West End of
London, most branches have already undergone a partial or total
makeover. No two restaurants are the same. The newly opened Bryanston
Street near Marble Arch W1 is styled in Italian retro-chic, the
refurbished Duke Street off Oxford Street W1 shows an eclectic mix of
Italian flair and craftsmanship, whilst the Haymarket branch near
Piccadilly SW1, with its floor-to-ceiling glass façade and
clean lines is an urban showcase of Italian lifestyle. The first
Spaghetti House to open in Goodge Street, in Bohemian Fitzrovia, W1,
has maintained its rustic appeal over the four floors of the original
'house'. The other branches are at Sicilian Avenue in Holborn WC1,
Cranbourn Street near Leicester Square WC2, St Martin's Lane near
Trafalgar Square WC2, Bressenden Place near Victoria SW1 and
Knightsbridge SW1.
|
