Bocconcino (Restaurant)

Top 10 things you need to know about Bocconcino restaurant:

1) Pizza: traditionally the preserve of the working class or the extremely lazy, from the sun-starved backstreets of 19th century Napoli to the fug-filled common rooms of London student accommodation. Now Bocconcino, an unmistakably upmarket Mayfair restaurant just off Berkeley Square, is aiming to prove that pizza can be posh too.

2) Everything on view is expensive-looking yet tasteful, as the subtle gold-leaf window display gives way to an opulent mezzanine entrance - all mirrors, oversized wine bottles and vintage armoires.

3) An iron and glass spiral staircase leads down to the restaurant floor, which is no less refined. The rustic brick walls aren’t fooling anyone, especially with a shiny wooden bar on one side and a state-of-the-art wood oven on the other – Pizza Hut this ain’t.

4) The open-plan space can seat large parties in the centre, with smaller tables to one side and a selection of alcoves for couples. So much for the fancy décor, but can the food – essentially bread, cheese and tomato sauce - possibly hope to match it?

5) Firstly, it bears mentioning that Bocconcino serves a lot more than just pizza, with pasta and seafood strongly represented. Delicate antipasti such as veal strips with Piedmont tuna sauce can lead into mouthwatering main courses such as porcini risotto or even rib-eye steak, without a single dough ball being kneaded in anger.

6) But pizza is obviously the main draw here, and the ninja pizzaioli of Bocconcino acquit themselves marvellously, embellishing the time-tested staple with unusual and sophisticated twists while preserving pizza’s wonderful, greasy essence.

7) The calzone quattro formaggi e prosciutto, for instance, could not be further removed from the traditional, manhole-cover pies of Chicago and NYC; yet somehow the gentrification works, and is damn tasty to boot.

8) There’s even a sweet version - the house speciality no less - for dessert. Stuffed to the gills with mascarpone, dark chocolate and fruits of the forest, the Pizza Dolce is daring, delicious and definitely not to be tackled alone.

9) The waistcoated barmen also get a nod for their array of delicious cocktails, while the selection of Italian wines is impressive.

10) In short, despite its pricey environs and a name that you can only hope to pronounce after several Negronis, Bocconcino retains - and often even elevates - the magic of the humble pizza....read more