Saturday was a bit frustrating but ended on a high. The plan had been to feed Baby G lunch then head off for lunch with the family near Stamford Bridge before I headed off to the game. The late lamented "Langan's" would have been our first choice for lunch but as of last Monday it is no more. We decided to wander down to High St ken but both "Carluccio's" and "Balans" were full. We then decided agaisnt better judgement to get a cab to Sophie's Steakhouse to try and get a table. Predictably it was full. We tried Hache, they were full and a bit rude when we asked about a table. The Fulham Road "Carluccio's" was full as well. We were just about to give up hope when I remembered Hollywood Rd had a few restaurants so with a last shake of the dice we tried there. "Santa Lucia/Made in Italy" was open and didn't appear that full which worried us slightly but we thought we would give it a go.
Actually it proved to be a good choice. They helped us in with the pushchair, gave us a nice big table by the window with plenty of room for baby G. The appearance from outside was deceptive as the restaurant goes back quite far into a sort of conservatory. At the centre is a proper wood fired oven where the chef was throwing fresh dough for the pizza bases. We ordered a mixed salad, a side of zuchinni fritti and we shared a mixed pizza. They make their pizza's by the meter so we ordered 25cm of parma ham and mozarella and 25cm of speck and mushroom. We went for a half bottle of chianti to restore us after our odyssey to find somewhere for lunch. The food came pretty quickly and was good. The stand out was the zuchinni which was lightly fried in a great batter, really morish. the mixed salad was so so. The pizza's were very nice, the fresh bases really made a difference. Half way through Baby G decided his push chair was not to his liking so I had to hold him whilst I ate. I have become a bit of expert at eating one handed of late. Pizza is easier than most.
The restaurant had a nice mix of people from fellow Chelsea fans to a lot of families who came in a bit later. The staff were very pleasant and the restaurant had a nice buzz. The bill came to £53 which was a bit toppy but that was down to the half bottle of really average Chianti at £17.50. The food itself is reasonably priced. We were debating post match where we will go now "Langan's" is no more. I think "Santa Lucia/Made in Italy" is in with a decent shout. So despite a dodgy start I had a nice lunch and saw Chelsea win so a bit of a result.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6