Restaurant review: Bacco

Location: Red Lion Street, Holborn

I appreciate the small things in life… my favourite chocolate in the Lindt assorted box (the roasted almond one), snuggly socks, the smell of rain… Last night it was the waiter helping me put on my coat, that silver instrument which cleans the crumbs off a nice tablecloth, and the little note stating ’25 minutes’ next to the risotto, which assured its freshness.

Bacco is an Italian restaurant in Holborn and a truly incredible find. How did I discover it? Through the magic of Tastecard. For those of you who don’t know about this card, it offers 50% off hundreds of restaurants in London, and is a great way to discover new places at nearly unbeatable prices. You can purchase it here.

I am somebody who loves fancy food, even more so when I can get it for half price. And when there’s a real burning fire, impeccably dressed Italian waiters, AND a tantalizing menu, I am sold. My starter was the sea bream carpaccio, which was covered in perfectly chopped onion, avocado, cucumber, tomato and croutons and served with a wedge of fresh lemon. My friend chose the antipasto platter of cured meats, which went perfectly with the complimentary bread basket. As for the mains… both the tagliatelle with veal ragout and the rabbit in white wine sauce with potatoes were irresistible. We were offered fresh black pepper for each of the dishes, and the waiter carefully ground it onto our plates according to our instructions – so the quantity was exactly what we wanted.

Bacco is upmarket without appearing stuffy, and the service is impeccable. Even without the Tastecard, the prices are acceptable and more than represent the quality of the food. The central location is very convenient, and I would highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys Italian food!