Lavagna

Italian.  Lavagna has many ingenious recipes, none more brilliant than their one for success.  It’s the ideal combination of intensely flavorful food and inviting environment (which explains why they’re perpetually packed throughout the night).

The evening kicked off with octopus carpaccio (fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, chives, pepperoncini).  This tentacle free creation was unfamiliar at first sight and delicious at first taste.  Just like the margherita pizzette (pizzeria looks yet sprung from a wood burning oven).

The pasta special was penne (eggplant, mozzarella) and how I imagine it goes down in Lavagna, the Italian city for which they are named.  I wonder if they’ve been to Portobello because the pan seared monkfish comes complete with those famous mushrooms – roasted to perfection.  That plus baby artichokes and green olive vinaigrette made it everything an entrée could possibly hope to be.

Just as aspirational, the crostata of the day (apple tart with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream).  I don’t know what they have planned for the rest of the week but, based on this innovation, we should all make it our mission to find out.