Briciole

The latest foodie adventure took me to Briciole, a restaurant, bar and deli in Marylebone on the corner of Crawford Street and Homer Street, London W1. The restaurant is owned by Chef Maurizio Morelli, who also owns Latium in Fitzrovia for the past ten years, together with Umberto Tosi,  the manager and Matteo Gasperini the Head Chef who has been working at Briciole since it opened in March 2012.  Previously known as The Honey Pot, Briciole which translating means breadcrumbs, is a  informal Italian trattoria with adjacent delicatessen in a relaxed and friendly neighbourhood  providing  simple and honest Italian food at inexpensive prices. The building used to be a pub and were refurbished to make place to a bar area (10 people) at the entrance, airy main room (50 people)  and two bright private areas at the back (18 people each).

Briciole – main room

main room detail

Italian breads basket, delicious plump olives and a refreshing Prosecco

Prosciutto Sardo  : sweet and peppery ham from Sardinia, Burrata Pugliese: was delicious but it wasn’t as creamy as I expected, Salsicce di cinghiale Umbro : delectable dry boar sausage.  Very good quality products from the deli.

Nice wine paring with our starters! fresh white wine from premier winery Lungarotti in Umbria. Grapes: 70% Trebbiano, 30% Grechetto; 6 months bottle aging; 12% alcohol. This paled coloured wine was fruity with long-lasting, intense, fresh citrus fruits. It’s dry  with delicate acidity. Priced at £23.10 a bottle.

Speck del Trentino Alto Adige with melon – classic dish my mother used to prepare for New Year eve.

It’s an open kitchen you can see the chef in action. Our chef for the afternoon:  Matteo

Tagliolini con gamberi di Mazzarra del Vallo e pomodorini: freash Tagliolini with red prawns from Sicily and gutsy tomato sauce- simple and amazing. The pasta is freshly made daily in the premises.

polpette alla pizzaiola : beef meatballs in delicious tomato sauce, very enjoyable!

Caprese al cioccolato bianco e limone: White chocolate tortino with lemon zest and vanilla sauce (top) and homemade Tiramisu (bottom) I simply loved the white chocolate almond and limoncello cake! Divine!Costs: Starters from £1.50-£8; Pastas £7-£10; Main courses £6-£12; Desserts £2.50-£3.50 The all-Italian wine list of 160 bins (from £13.75) offers 22 by the glass (from £3.40), including many from small regional Italian producers. I really enjoyed our meal at Briciole and I would recommend it. Very good quality ingredients and comprehensive menu are on offer. When we arrived on a Friday at 3pm the restaurant wasn’t busy, two long tables still finishing their meals and some customers were enjoying the afternoon sun at outside tables – it was a very hot day. The service was friendly, enthusiastic and very laid-back indeed. Disclosure: I was a guest of Briciole (and plus one), all views are my own.