Morso — Restaurant in London

What a discovery ! This place has been opened for longer than a year and I did not know about it ! Thank god that I have reliable friends I trust and was advised to check it out . On a cold Saturday in January I ventured all the way up to north London and the journey was so worth it ! The place was not full and my table was ready . Booking in advance is recommended, especially if you go for dinner . The food ... an amuse Bouche of a homemade ricotta served in a jar with rustic bread was brought meanwhile I was perusing the menu . Heavenly! The ricotta was smooth and had a lemon flavour subtle and tangy at the same time . The bread was incredible , hard to believe it was not homemade bread as it was even more delicious than a lot of homemade beads I tried . Then arancini which are bite sized and with a pea and pecorino purée, those beauties were so light and fluffy, fried without any unctuousness .. devoured them in seconds ! Then cane tagliata a meat cut so tender it melted in the mouth ; cooked in an emulsion of Parmesan and butter, served on a bed of wild rocket, this was another incredible starter. I then ordered their signature dish a raviolo ( a single big chunky wonder ) which was cooked to perfection , dressed in an emulsion with pecorino and Parmesan and with the surprising special effect of egg yolk running as soon as you bite into it ! Served on a bed of spinach it was yet another perfect dish ! Maltagliati with sausage meat fennel and nduja was another pasta dish which mesmerised me . I could not leave this place without trying also the ink squid spaghetti with vongole, another perfect dish . Balanced , flavourful , reminder me of a meal on a beach in Italy ( in London , in January ! ) . The last thing I had was the tiramisu . Incredible, smooth , tasty , creamy, light , moreish... cannot find one word able to describe its perfection. In the middle of my lunch I already knew I wanted to go back to sample the rest of the menu . Next time I will not go during a sober January and will take full advantage of the very good and very short, but nicely selected , wine list and Grappa menu . From a spectacularly tasting Falanghina from Campania to a Grappa made from Sassicaia I shall sample another time what I could not taste during dry January . The service was spot on and , unbelievably, they do not charge for it at all, leaving it to your discretion and honesty to tip as you deem fit. Which is a touch of class in a place like London where even the most obnoxious pit charges 12.5% service charge . The staff was very sweet, enthusiastic , professional and knowledgeable and so was the management . Can’t...

The recently opened Morso is a gorgeous restaurant in South Hampstead. They have had a few pop ups across London and now have a permanent base on Boundary Road serving up delicious Italian small bites and pasta with an impressive grappa cocktail menu. The restaurant is cosy and well decorated with a modern interior and the staff were really friendly and accommodating!

To start we had some Morso homemade ricotta curd with ciabatta bread (£3.50). The bread was toasted and delicious with the creamy ricotta curd piled on top – a great starter! To satisfy my olive craving we also had some Nocellara olives (£2.50) which were fresh and juicy.

Then we moved on to some meat! We had the Welsh Lamb Scottadito: with salsa verde, grilled baby gem, pangrattato (£11) and the Chicken Arrosticini: garlic & rosemary marinated free range chicken skewers, sweet balsamic glaze, radicchio (£7). The lamb was tender and lean and cooked perfectly and we loved the grilled baby gem accompaniment. The chicken was juicy and well flavoured and the glaze was delicious.

For our pasta course we choose the Squid Ink Taglionlini: Dorset brown crab, baby plum tomatoes, white wine & Almalfi lemon sauce (£11) and the Spaghetti alla chitarra: San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano (£6). The squid ink pasta was delicious and had an almost nutty flavour to it – the sauce was heavenly!

The spaghetti was made with vegan pasta which was requested prior to booking as it is freshly made on the day. The sauce was full of flavour and I ate it within minutes! We loved the smaller plates sharing concept so we could have a bit of everything.

To finish we had our arms twisted to try the Morso Potted Tiramisu (£5). It was so cute presented in a little pot with chocolate ‘soil’ on top. It was full of the classic tiramisu flavours and just the right size to finish off the meal.

Morso is a gem of a neighbourhood restaurant in South Hampstead serving delicious Italian small plates and cocktails. Definitely go along with friends and order a few plates and enjoy...

The location is pretty basic so nothing crazy for furniture and design, not super busy. Appetizers are all small tapas size but the portions are perfect for sharing, so it's good to get some random and have a taste of every one. Beside the appetizers they served a olives focaccia that was testing good but a little bit too carbonized in some little parts (Actually I asked for a second round of that and this time came perfectly grilled). The Arancini were small balls and very tasty. Taglita steak had a very rich taste but a little bit overcooked when I asked for medium rare. Now.......the pasta! I had two different type of pastas: Octopus spaghetti and ragu' pappardelle. The Octopus spaghetti was good but it comes with some redflags: first and main one the pasta was a bit too much al dente and I would appreciate at least a copuple of mins more in boling water, the second (minor) issue was the way they trim the octopus tentacles, a bit too big pieces, but generally the dish came very well. The Pappardele was presenting a little bit to much of parsley on top that could cover the genera taste of the meat. The Pappardelle were good and the cooking time was good this time. I wuld appreciate a bit more presence of meat bits because it was tasty well coooked and metling in your mouth. The tiramisu dessert was presented as a funny plant pot. The Cocoa crumble on top was great, I appreciate the salt contrast in it but probably a little bit lest would make it perfect. The The tiramisu filling was not enought creamy and the savoiardi sponge buscuits a bit lacking of coffee, but the general taste was good. I've got 2 glasses of still wine GAVI and it was good and served at the right temperature.

Bill: £111.93 for 2 is a little bit pricy cosidering the portions of the single dishes. Including the service charge, I would appreciate something not exceeding £100.

I'd like to try it again...