Princi
135 Wardour St,
London.
W1F 0UT
http://www.princi.co.uk/
Food Style: Italian
Closest Stations: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly, Bakerloo), Leicester Square (Piccadilly, Northern)
Recommends: Pumpkin and Cheese Salad. I also have it on good authroity that the pizza is very good, a statement which I hope to confirm in due course.
Avoid: Peak Times. Seat availabiility is limited at best, and this popular eatery filles up quite quickly from around 7pm.
Review:
In Soho, located off the main street (Shaftesbury Av) and China Town, lies an area that I had admittedly not explored. Yes it is home to numerous sex shops and the gay community, but as I discovered it also consists of many eateries that I (and my blog) would have been oblivious to had it not been for my friend suggesting Princi. The area somewhat reminded me of the Rue des Rosiers in Paris, especially as I notcied a few brasseries around. The lesson to learn here is not to get stuck in a rut and become too comfortable, but to seek new experiences as you never know what you may find.
I was greeted by bakers kneading pizza dough by the window, which is always a nice homely sight. Heading inside, the main area reminded me of a canteen, but not in the bad sense. Along the sides there were rows of desserts and main meals all on display to make your choice of narrowing down the selections that little bit harder (See below for photos). I was reminded of Parisian patisseries with the mouthwatering desserts, but instantly noticeed the cheaper prices. Desserts ranged from pistachio mousse to chocolate and pear cakes and strawberry millefeuille (millefoglie in Italian). The mains varied from pastas to salads, pizzas and focaccias, the latter three looking expectionally delicious. There are hot drinks and fresh fruit juice combinations available.
The Rigatoni was, in my opinion better than the big restaurant chains and alot cheaper but not by an extreme margin. If there was anything to criticise, it was that the food was warm, but didn't have the 'just out of the oven' warmth. The mackerel and stuffed aubergine dishes were also tasty and for a split second I could imagine myself in the Italian sun dining al-fresco. However, the highlight goes to the Pumpkin and Cheese Salad. I believe the large pumpkin chunks were roasted in olive oil, honey and perhaps drizzled after with balsamic vinegar. The chunks retained its solidness, avoiding the mushy-ness and combined with the flavour it is something worth going back for. For dessert, I settled on chocolate cake, which was very rich indeed and worth sharing with somewone, simply because as delicious as it was, it was near impossible to finish the whole piece.
Other things to mention:
-Free Bread Baskets: At around 7pm, bread baskets were put out on the counters so watch out for these. I managed to taste three types of bread - walnut, raisin, and salty/cheese. All of which were amazing.
-Card Payments: I was able to pay for my £3.50 dessert via card. Anywhere that accepts a balance of under £5 on card payment without a surcharge automatically gets a thumbs up from me.
Rating: I will definately return, and while I can see the food choices getting boring after a while, this is easily rectified as the food menu gets rotated (so I am told. This may pose a problem, where you may find what your favourite choice may not reappear for a while, but as you will want to return there often enough there is no danger of missing out. To pay for a main and dessert at £9.50, which is very good and on top of this of a higher quality than comparable restaurants, combined with the relaxing and cosy atmosphere gives this place an A-.
W1F 0UT
http://www.princi.co.uk/
Food Style: Italian
Closest Stations: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly, Bakerloo), Leicester Square (Piccadilly, Northern)
Recommends: Pumpkin and Cheese Salad. I also have it on good authroity that the pizza is very good, a statement which I hope to confirm in due course.
Avoid: Peak Times. Seat availabiility is limited at best, and this popular eatery filles up quite quickly from around 7pm.
Review:
In Soho, located off the main street (Shaftesbury Av) and China Town, lies an area that I had admittedly not explored. Yes it is home to numerous sex shops and the gay community, but as I discovered it also consists of many eateries that I (and my blog) would have been oblivious to had it not been for my friend suggesting Princi. The area somewhat reminded me of the Rue des Rosiers in Paris, especially as I notcied a few brasseries around. The lesson to learn here is not to get stuck in a rut and become too comfortable, but to seek new experiences as you never know what you may find.
I was greeted by bakers kneading pizza dough by the window, which is always a nice homely sight. Heading inside, the main area reminded me of a canteen, but not in the bad sense. Along the sides there were rows of desserts and main meals all on display to make your choice of narrowing down the selections that little bit harder (See below for photos). I was reminded of Parisian patisseries with the mouthwatering desserts, but instantly noticeed the cheaper prices. Desserts ranged from pistachio mousse to chocolate and pear cakes and strawberry millefeuille (millefoglie in Italian). The mains varied from pastas to salads, pizzas and focaccias, the latter three looking expectionally delicious. There are hot drinks and fresh fruit juice combinations available.
The Rigatoni was, in my opinion better than the big restaurant chains and alot cheaper but not by an extreme margin. If there was anything to criticise, it was that the food was warm, but didn't have the 'just out of the oven' warmth. The mackerel and stuffed aubergine dishes were also tasty and for a split second I could imagine myself in the Italian sun dining al-fresco. However, the highlight goes to the Pumpkin and Cheese Salad. I believe the large pumpkin chunks were roasted in olive oil, honey and perhaps drizzled after with balsamic vinegar. The chunks retained its solidness, avoiding the mushy-ness and combined with the flavour it is something worth going back for. For dessert, I settled on chocolate cake, which was very rich indeed and worth sharing with somewone, simply because as delicious as it was, it was near impossible to finish the whole piece.
Other things to mention:
-Free Bread Baskets: At around 7pm, bread baskets were put out on the counters so watch out for these. I managed to taste three types of bread - walnut, raisin, and salty/cheese. All of which were amazing.
-Card Payments: I was able to pay for my £3.50 dessert via card. Anywhere that accepts a balance of under £5 on card payment without a surcharge automatically gets a thumbs up from me.
Rating: I will definately return, and while I can see the food choices getting boring after a while, this is easily rectified as the food menu gets rotated (so I am told. This may pose a problem, where you may find what your favourite choice may not reappear for a while, but as you will want to return there often enough there is no danger of missing out. To pay for a main and dessert at £9.50, which is very good and on top of this of a higher quality than comparable restaurants, combined with the relaxing and cosy atmosphere gives this place an A-.
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