London 2009: Locanda Ottoemezzo

After a long day of fine beer at the Ladbroke Arms, my dining companion and I stumbled over to Kensington Square to experience what she called the "best trendy authentic Italian in London".

Upon entering Locanda Ottomezzo, one is struck by the Fellini-motivated theme - old-school movie posters, many with the "8 1/2" (yes, that's what Ottomezzo means, I think). The restaurant even has its own movie poster, highlighting the intimate, small dining room with red stucco walls.

In addition to the exclusively Italian staff, who speaks a very sexy broken English, the dinner also includes a reasonably-priced Italian wine list (we chose a Pinot Nero from Niedermayr of the 2004 vintage, which needed some decanting but was smooth and delectable).

After we ordered our entrees, we gorged on fresh bread with LO's own olive oil - peppery but smooth with no aftertaste. We started with a fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes (housemade and silky - the cheese, not the tomatoes, silly) - a very well-done traditional Italian dish.

The speciality of the house (which my companion ordered) was the risotto with mushrooms. What makes this simple dish the house favorite is that fact that is it scooped table side from a massive Parmesan wheel - exquisite presentation and flavor to match.

I am a sucker for fresh noodles and the homemade papardelle fit the bill. The realization that this was a true fine Italian restaurant was the veal ragout - the sauce was surprisingly light; an elegant sauce

We were stuffed from our long day of imbibing both London's fine drafts and subtle Italian dishes, so we skipped desert, but were treated to light, homemade biscotti as we finished our wine.

Overall, a perfect Italian respite in the heart of a nice London neighborhood. Even if I used "homemade" too many times in the review, it exemplifies this fine little restaurant tucked away in the Kensington neighborhood.