Extravagant Lunch in London at Osteria by Searcys

One of our food writers, Rachel McAlley was the chosen one, so she took the opportunity to dine at a restaurant she had heard good things about. But was it to her liking?

What a glorious day to have lunch at Osteria London. The sun was shining, and there were families milling around the fountains and lakeside at the Barbican Centre. Graduation was taking place and plenty of students were happily enjoying being the centre of attention. It was such a joy to watch the graduates having photos taken to showcase their achievements in graduating from university.

I was sat overlooking the lakeside whilst perusing the menu at Osteria, and what a great menu it is. The menu, a collection of mouthwatering Italian antipasti dishes, starters, pastas and mains all looked enticing and sounded divine.

My guest opted for the burrata Pugliese, which was served alongside pumpkin, treviso and balsamic pearls. I decided to try the pan-fried red mullet, with Jerusalem artichoke, pickled cucumber, sea herbs and sorrel. The burrata was the creamiest, most delicious burrata either of us had ever tasted, and the mullet with the pickles were simply a match made in heaven.

One of our main courses included the best pasta dish ever made; pappardelle with braised venison, pecorino cheese, and toasted hazelnuts. It was meaty, the pappardelle was cooked to perfection, and the nuts were a genius addition. Our other main course was the Christmassy option on the menu; seared turkey roulade, smoked salsify puree, fig and chestnut compote. This dish came served with roasted potatoes, which were an unexpected added bonus.

Side dishes were mentioned, and we decided that it would be rude to not try the highly recommended zucchini fries with tomato sauce. We probably shouldn’t have ordered these because we had more than enough food on our plates, but they were good, they were mightily good!

We genuinely didn’t have room for dolci, but the lovely server wasn’t going to let us leave without trying something sweet, and we were glad we did! Dessert consisted of cannoli with Amalfi lemon sorbet, and a Clementine, bergamot frangipane tart. The sorbet was refreshing and just what I needed to finish the meal, and my guest devoured the frangipane tart with a “well that was amazing” when she put her spoon down.

So, all in all what did we think about lunch at Osteria? It was truly outstanding, an extravagant mid-week delight!

1 course £19, 2 courses £25, 3 courses £29.50, side dishes £5 – £5.75 each

To book a table or to find out more visit Osteria London

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