FOOD
guestlist.net
Issue 59 / 2014
IEW
V
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DONNA MARGHERITA
Guestlist has decided to do a rundown of the best Italian
restaurants in London, and we're kicking this off with Donna Margherita, the best and most authentic Italian restaurant in the South West.
Walking into Donna Margherita is like walking
into Napoli, not just because of the Italian staff
and crafted balcony overlooking the restaurant
(complete with drying underwear that looks like
it belonged to Sophia Loren in her heyday) but
the Neapolitan cuisine is cooked using traditional
recipes and fresh Italian produce. The restaurant
is run by Gabriele Vitale and his brothers; men
that grew up in Napoli and have a real passion for
bringing the food they lived on to London. The
quality of this food is apparent from the very first
taste.
The restaurant is constantly stressing the importance of their ingredients. As well as using a
lot of Italian products and vegetables, the restaurant uses fresh local fish, which they make an effort to obtain from renewable sources. The Vitale
brothers grew up with these dishes, as Gabriele
states, 'If my mother didn't cook it, it doesn't go
on the menu!', and the menu is stunning. A standout dish for me was the linguine with red mullet.
The fish was cooked beautifully and the Italian
zucchini and Vesuvian cherry tomatoes were a
perfect accompaniment. My palette also had the
pleasure of tasting the goat's cheese risotto and
a scialatielli pasta dish with tomatoes, langoustine and mussels, both of which were cooked to
perfection. The risotto was thick and creamy, not
too rich and the langoustine and mussels were
succulent and fresh. We finished on a traditional
capri dessert of almond and chocolate cake with
homemade vanilla ice cream, the perfect sweet
to end a meal.
It's really refreshing to find an Italian restaurant
that lives up to its promises. Too often claims
of authenticity and freshness are proved false
in the execution, but Donna Margherita is without a doubt the real deal. If you're looking for a
great place to eat in South West London, with the
friendly and informal atmosphere this little Italian
diamond is the perfect restaurant for family dining on the weekend or a relaxing dinner during
the week.
Have a look at their menu at
www.donna-margherita.com
facebook.com/donnamargheritarestaurant
twitter.com/DMargheritaUK
Their address is:
183 Lavender Hill SW11 5TE
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