We make no bones about L’Anima being one of our favourite restaurants. Clare and I love the restaurant’s clean, minimalist, modern design created by Claudio Silvestrin, its fabulous front of house staff, and last but certainly not least the skill and passion of the chefs in the kitchen.
We knew that the restaurant offers seasonal menus, the exact dishes varying with the produce actually available on the day. We had also heard that L’Anima had a new Head Chef. So with that news, and on hearing that there was a new seasonal menu – plus one of us having a bit of a celebration – we headed for the City of London, Snowden Street and L’Anima.
We’ve only been there twice before but were recognised straight away by Assistant Restaurant Manager, Marco Cofelice – how do they do they manage to do that?
Marco explained that Head Chef now was Antonio Favuzzi (he’s known as Lello). Lello knows the kitchen well having worked with L’Anima’s previous chef-patron Francesco Mazzei since it opened in 2008.
Sardinian by birth, Lello learnt to cook in his Sicilian and Puglian parents’ kitchen, before studying at catering school. His career has taken him to some of the finest Sardinian, Italian and UK hotels and restaurants.
The new menus owe a nod towards Moorish cuisine combining with Lello’s Sardinian and Puglian roots. There are no two ways about it; the food is absolutely, utterly delicious, as were the glasses of wine recommended by sommelier Jianmarco Arcuri.
Clare and I raised a glass of thanks to Lello and his skilled colleagues and awarded L’Anima’s kitchen 10/10. We had been sampling each other’s dishes and loved everything we tasted but we were particularly bowled over by the langoustine and prawn ravioli swimming in a delicious lobster bisque.
If there is a soufflé served with a hot chocolate sauce on the menu order it – it is dessert heaven.
In the end we awarded L’Anima 9 ½ out of 10. We felt that the ladies toilet was looking a tad tired, so we were mean and deducted half a point! www.lanima.co.uk
NB: Sister establishment L’Anima Café holds masterclasses on pasta, pizza and bread making on selected dates in September, October and November, priced at £80 per person. www.lanimacafe.co.uk