Legare — Restaurant in London

One of my hobbies is to check out new London openings, especially in the areas surprisingly bereft of good eateries, like Tower Bridge. This is one of the best new London openings I have tried in quite a while; pretty impressive on day 4 of formal opening, and it was full house too. Housed in a former 19th century spice warehouse, this is a very cosy space full of hygge, and semi-opened kitchen, that is fun to watch. Warm, genuine service, with Jay (I understand owner/manager) on hand with good suggestions, and Martha especially, made my pre-theatre dinner such fun. They all, including the chefs, looked like they wanted to be there and were having fun, not taking themselves too seriously, with healthy doze of humour, unlike some other newbies on the block, especially in Fitzrovia (see my review of another new Italian eatery). Best still, it is only some 2min walk from the iconic bridge, and the fab Bridge Theatre. As to the food, small menu, but still plenty to find for a pescaterian, I opted for mackerel crudo (who would have thought that, as done here in Legare, it could give seabass run for its money!) Not fishy at all, melt in one's mouth, perfect when accompanied by citrus and fennel salad, beautifully seasoned with herb mix, green olives, roasted pistachio. I also tried the freshest gem lettuce with pangrattata, blue cheese "sauce" and marinated shallots. Perfection on a plate, super simple, but oh so tasty. Tiny criticism, attributable to newness no doubt: Jay offered me water "on the house" upon arrival, but it actually came charged at £1 on the bill, no big deal, but serving staff all just need to align. Plus, it would be great if staff could refill diners' glasses, it's such a small gesture but means a lot, especially if they are just standing around. But that is really just so minor, and the overall experience so positive, that I already cannot wait to try it again with friends. The oatmilk macchiatto coffee was excellent. I am only hoping the wine list expands a little, especially by the glass. Bravissimi!

This is a more recent update - 5 February 2022 Legare is always a joy, small menu, but all of it super fresh and tasty, service is as always attentive and efficient. Mortadella croquettes exceptional, as were duck agnolotti, proper Sicilia canoli. Love this place, and always...

I arrived at Legare with no expectations - and then I saw the menu: Sharp intake of breath, pulse rising, excitement palpable, taste buds activating

To start: Venison Carpaccio with grated truffle - yes please. This is a "death row supper" contender, a dish I would serve at my wedding should I find anyone unwitting enough to take that plunge with me. On paper - sublime. On plate - sub par. The shear quantity of olive oil made the eating of this dish rather unpleasant, and I'm still baffled as to how venison and truffle can be rendered virtually flavourless.

Main course (or primi for our friends of Roman descent) was Gnocchi with a blue cheese (cannot recall the English or Latin name) sauce and pickled walnuts (Juglans regia - presumably). Woof. The outcome? Perfectly pleasant, but nothing more. Portion size was on the dainty side, but given my girth I will not profess to be the expert on this matter - 'tis an observation, NOT a criticism.

What someone of my girth could profess to be an expert on would be bread, in this specific case focaccia. I never thought it would be possible to not devour, in the manner of a child released on an advent calendar, the combination of flour, olive oil, salt, yeast and rosemary (credit - BBC goodfood) but I was mistaken. Whilst I will confess that I was hungry enough (at the time) to eat a scabby horse, the sad reality was that there was real potential that that might have been a preferable alternative. There was an overwhelming, unpleasant bitter taste with every mouthful - it was truly a sad state of affairs.

Ultimately, it was a shame that the "minimalist" style of this restaurant was also translated into food that was "minimalist" with regards to flavour.

Or perhaps my uncultured palate was simply lacking the requisite...

I’ve wanted to visit Legare for ages as I’ve heard good things. Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to expectations and after reading the other reviews on here, it feels like I was at a different restaurant! I found it very expensive and the quality just wasn’t there. The focaccia didn’t taste freshly baked and it had an overpowering taste of confit garlic oil. And not enough salt! A plate of purple sprouting broccoli with a lemon butter emulsion for a starter was £15. It was a pretty measly portion and just very average. The onglet was the stand out dish of the night. It was cooked well and seasoned beautifully. The mullet with pickled onions, raisins, pine nuts & dill was £16 and just a bit boring, it was lacking in proper flavour. We had the gargati with mussels and white beans - £21 - the beans were undercooked and chalky and there was hardly any sauce/emulsion to bring everything together. Brings a new meaning to ‘pasta asciutta!’ The saffron risotto with a single pigs cheek was £22 and was quite tasty. The desserts of cannoli and poached pear were pretty average, I found the cannoli very sweet. I was treated to this meal by a friend and didn’t want to make a fuss at the time. Maybe it was an off night or maybe it just wasn’t to my taste. Our waitress was very nice and attentive, the drinks were good but the food was poor considering the price, location & reputation. Bancone, Pasta Evangelists, Brutto and Luca are all far superior Italian restaurants...