Mucci's — Restaurant in London

I have to say that being an Italian who loves to cook (and originally from Veneto) l am always very sceptical when l try an Italian restaurant in London. This time l have to say, Mucci's was a wonderful surprise!

The venue is elegant, but not too pretentious, a very relaxed environment where to spend a nice time with friends, family but also ideal for a business dinner.

The place is very friendly. We were greeted by the owner, Giuseppe, who spent some time with us to introduce us to the place.

We were taken care by Raffaele, who has given us recommendations on the plates and responded to our requests promptly (he even tried to make an ltalian sgroppino in the, despite not being in the menu!). All the staff is Italian so the athmosphere is joyful and surely not boring!

But let's talk about the food... authentic Italian food of high quality..classic but with a small touch of originality.. I had the pizza burrata and l have to say it was awesome (the parma ham was cut few minutes before the pizza was served and it was delicious).. the fried calamari (they are coming directly from Italy) were super fresh and well cooked, the arancini are smaller than what you expect, but as a starter you must try them because they are delicious! Then we had vitello tonnato, bruschetta with octopus, both really good.. The gorgonzola gnocchi are hand made and they simply melt in your mouth! Wow... Being impressed by the quality of the food l also attempted to try the tiramisu. l generally never order tiramisu in a restaurant because l do it myself since l was a child and l am very difficult! Well it was so good l had to tell the chef..

We had the pleasure to meet chef Leonardo, a young Sicilian guy (now you know why the arancini are so good!) with a massive experience and a real passion that reflects the quality of the food..

It has been a wonderful experience and l will surely go back.. I should probably say that the portions are somehow smaller than expected, but they are also called cicchetti (they are starters in Venice) but the quality is outstanding! Surely they give you an opportunity to try more plates before you get to the dessert, but I am sure that if you want a full plate of pasta the chef will be happy to prepare a bigger...

Possibly the best meal we've had in London this trip, at least so far. Superb Italian cuisine accompanied by equally superb service against a backdrop of polished decor.

We started with the freshly baked focaccia with a black truffle spread and it was excellent. The focaccia was thin and crisp, and I loved adding a bit of olive oil and balsamic with the truffle spread.

Next up was an arancini that was expertly paired with a creamy dipping sauce, delicious.

Then there was the buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and a delicate but flavorful pesto. Best mozzarella I've had outside of Italy, just incredible.

For our mains we tried two pastas, the Paccheri Tuscan sausage and the Trombette alla Norma with aubergine and ricotta. Both were good but the trombette was special, distinguished by the melted ricotta on top. Yum.

Our daughter had the Margherita pizza and she said it was the best pizza she's ever had (and she's had quite a few). After trying a bite, I had to agree.

I also had to try a small serving of the thinly-sliced sirloin steak, grilled medium rare to perfection.

We ordered a trio of desserts: a strawberry panna cotta, the tiramisu, and a petite chocolate fondant. All were tasty but my favorite surprisingly was the panna cotta, just simple but tremendous flavor.

Our servers rotated a bit but all were professional and attentive, striving to create a memorable experience and they definitely succeeded.

Highly...

Dreadful. I drive past Mucci’s a lot so thought I’d have my birthday meal here.

I had to pay £25 per head for a table for 6 as a deposit towards the table to be taken off the bill which wasn’t a problem - however for 6 people to be placed on a table for 4 was a poor start.

Dinner was booked for 7.30pm and it took 2 hours for the starters to arrive. After enquiring as to what the delay was, it turned out the head chef had done a runner mid way through service. The manager said they were waiting for a previous chef to come back to finish the service, but recommended we swap to pizzas given it was a ‘safer option’.

We finally left the restaurant just before midnight that’s how long the service took. We weren’t even offered desserts for my family to enjoy whilst I had a small cake Mucci’s provided.

When it came to the bill, offering two shots of spirit, and a complimentary bread to apologise for the terrible service was all that was offered as an apology.

The bill came to £550 for 6 people. Minus the £150 deposit and it was £400 on the night - no discount offered for the ruined birthday meal. And to top it off the bill came with service included and not automatically taken off given how much of a car crash this was from start to finish.

I understand that unforeseen events can happen, but the way the evening was handled was poor all round.

Will not be...