Fifteen x 2 = brilliant

Fifteen London

They say you shouldn't go back, that something that was wonderful the first time rarely lives up to the memory. Having given Fifteen such a glowing review the first time we went, I had hooked a couple of friends who were desperate to join us the next time they were in London, so I had two reasons to be crossing my fingers that it would live up to the pedestal on which I'd set it.

Dinner at Fifteen now offers exclusively a 5-course tasting menu at £65, which I am sure is wonderful, but we wanted the freedom to try as many different dishes as possible so we opted for lunch instead, and booked for 1.30pm – that gives us time to work up a bit of an appetite! A lovely crisp, mineral Italian white wine helps get the juices going too, along with a plate of those enormous green olives – if your closest encounter with green olives is limited to pimento-stuffed and speared in your martini these babies will be a revelation: so fresh there’s a toothy quality to them and you cannot just eat one – I dare you!


There follows a spell of deep concentration . . . all eyes focussed on menus, making sure we get the combinations right. They are so user-friendly here, there are fixed prices for every option: 2 courses, £21; 2 courses plus dessert, £24; 4 courses, £28 and it’s the same with the wine pairing. Don’t worry, compared to choosing your fantasy football team, this is easy stuff. Bearing in mind we have the whole afternoon ahead of us, so plenty of recovery time, we all go for the wine pairing option and I sigh with relief: choosing one wine that matches everyone’s food choices is impossible, and you often end up with a compromise that’s like the curate’s egg – good in parts. So we all decide to skip the antipasto offerings and dive straight into the nirvana section: when it comes to pasta, what’s not to love? And a different pasta for everyone means we can ‘do some business’ which is the whole point of not dining alone, isn’t it? And they are all fabulous – the pappardelle with lamb and pork ragu (omg, the ragu is sensational), the linguine with octopus and anchovy pangratatto, the ravioli of goats ricotta and chard doing the backstroke in a caper and mint butter sauce and, the piece de resistance, the ‘lightest’ gnocchi with fresh girolles again living up to their lack of gravity. The sommelier has chosen some great wines to accompany each of these though, sadly for posterity, I fail to note what they are other than pitch perfect.


So far, so perfect. Two of us have chosen the same entree – char-grilled, marinated leg of lamb with aubergine (eggplant) funghetto – while our partners have chosen Sicilian Fisherman’s stew and 10-hour braised shin of beef respectively. We lamb-eaters are presented with an Italian red wine from a collective run by a drug rehab clinic – San Patrignano – a concept that at first is a source of much joking, but then we realize how it dovetails perfectly with the ethos behind Fifteen. Aside from making wines, San Patrignano also produces cheese, olive oil, honey and salumi. Our wine, Noi, is a DOC blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and, boy, those ex addicts make some great wine. It has great body and balance and is just right with the lamb. In fact it’s so good that our beef-eater, not too happy with the wine choice he’s been given, asks to switch to the Noi. By the way, please check their website – www.sanpatrignano.org – to learn more about their programme. The lamb is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and I’ve reached the point where I don’t really want to share any more. From the cleaned plates at the end though, I’m guessing everyone’s happy with their dishes.


Now in a serious food coma, and 2 hours + into the meal, we have to consider dessert. Feeling distinctly like Mr. Creosote before he explodes (Monty Python’s Meaning of Life: ‘I’ll have the lot’), we are helpless to resist (who can, with the likes of Panna Cotta with spiced plums, blackcurrant and Vin Santo baba and tiramisu semifreddo with dark chocolate mousse?) and one of us even goes for the cheese plate. Heaven’s above.


What was that about ‘you can’t go back’? Well, at least in the case of Fifteen, you can . . . again and again. In fact, before we leave we’re already talking about coming back for the tasting menu dinner next time, blow the expense. I stand by what I said the first time, best damn Italian food in London, period.


http://www.fifteen.net/