Theo’s Simple Italian is located at Hotel Indigo in Earl’s Court and is run by the famous chef Theo Randall. I was invited to a preview of his new brunch menu a while back, hosted by the man himself.
Prior to the brunch, we were treated to a masterclass where we got to watch him make pasta from scratch! He gave us his tips on how to work the pasta machine to our advantage. To top it up he also showed us how to make our own ravioli. It all looked nice and easy but I bet if there was a test right afterwards then I’d fail miserably. He’s a lovely and down to earth chef, who’s clearly got so much love and passion for his food.
I’ve not had the pleasure of eating at his restaurant at Intercontinental Park Lane so I didn’t have any previous experiences to compare it to. The restaurant itself is very bright and colourful with lots of natural light which is perfect for a brunch.
REVIEW
The new 4 course brunch menu is priced at £35 per person, including a glass of Prosecco. For starters we had Napoli Salami, Ham and Pugliese Burrata, served with rocket and roasted tomatoes. I loved this dish, particularly the burrata as it was so fresh and creamy.
For the primi we tried 3 different pasta dishes: Ravioli di Ricotta e Erbette / Pappardelle with Beef Ragout / Taglierini Piscatory. The Taglierini is fine pasta with mussels clams, prawns, fish & a parsley, garlic and tomato sauce. My favourite out of these 3 was definitely the beef ragout. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was very rich. If it came in a full portion I would have been happy with that as my only main dish.
For the secondi we tried another 3 dishes: Tagliata di Manzo – Chargrilled Bavette of beef med-rare with borlotti beans, rocket and roasted tomatoes / Sea Bream with Grilled Vegetables / Pork T-bone with Rainbow Chard and Portobello Mushrooms. Out of these three I’d recommend the sea bream as it was very nicely cooked and well seasoned. The other two dishes were not bad in any way but just weren’t my dishes of preference.
For desserts we had a selection: Tiramisu / Ricotta Cheesecake / Soft Chocolate cake (with vanilla gelato). The obvious winner here was the tiramisu, however I did find that it was very creamy and the flavour of the coffee didn’t come out strongly as I would have liked. It was delicious nonetheless!
SUMMARY
I think that overall Theo’s Simple Italian has got lovely atmosphere for a brunch spot, its bright and puts you in a good mood. Its also a very generous meal for £35 but unfortunately not an amazing one. I’ve not been to many Italian brunch places and this was definitely ok, but maybe not one I’d make a trek across London for. You can view the whole menu here.
Theo’s Simple Italian
34-44 Barkston Gardens, Kensington,
London SW5 0EW
020 7370 9130
Catch52 – A London Food & Travel Blog
