A few years ago it may have been considered a little *unusual* but since starting my blog getting together with people who I’ve met online has become quite a regular occurrence. So it was on a was Wednesday night that I headed down to Bocconcino in Mayfair to meet up with my ‘internet friends.’
Fellow blogger, Andrea had invited myself, Lauren and Catherine for dinner to sample the modern Italian cuisine of the glamorous restaurant.
The restaurant itself is quite cavernous and you enter on to the street level mezzanine floor before descending via a winding staircase into the basement restaurant.
Decorated with soft tones of beige and wooden panelling, it was a really relaxing space and perfect for a chilled mid-week dinner. Though I can imagine it’s a place that can get pretty lively especially given the restaurant’s position just off Berkeley Square.
Our starter was an antipasti selection, and having now met several times, we weren’t too shy of digging into the sharing selection.
Our starters included a beautifully salty parma ham with deep fried cheese pastries.
Crisp tiger prawns and courgette tempura.
Perfectly cooked calamari with tartare sauce
And one of my all time favourites: a perfectly prepared tomato and mozzarella salad.
And another favourite of mine, tuna tartare. I was a little disappointed by this because I preferred raw tuna in chunks whereas this had a minced textures. Some of the other girls found it overly peppery but I actually enjoyed the hints of spice.
I love going out with foodie friends as we can discuss what we think of each dish, where as the best I can get from Mr S is ‘ummm’ and ‘nice.’ As well as food lovers, the four of us are travel fans and we discussed my recent holiday to St Lucia, Lauren’s upcoming New Zealand trip as well as Catherine’s exciting plans for next year. There’s something about being with travel bloggers that ignites even more wanderlust, making me not only more excited for my trip to South America next year but also inspiring me for my next plan!
As we were dining from a set menu we had the choice of four different main courses:
Andrea and I both chose the sea bass with a potato crust, also served with tomatoes and olives. Andrea, who is incredibly discerning, loved it and I agreed that the fish was beautifully cooked. We both added a fair amount of seasoning though, in order to really bring the flavours out.
I love garlic but I have to say the flavour was very overpowering in this side dish of broccoli.
But big fat chunk chips always go down well!
On the other side of the table Lauren and Catherine both chose the house speciality, pizza cooked in the wood-fired oven. A salami pizza with a thin, crisp based was placed in front of the girls, and I’m not going to lie, Andrea and I definitely had food envy. Fortunately the pizza was so big that the girls struggled to finished it and required help 😉
Lauren and I held back from dessert but Catherine and Andrea enjoyed a classic tiramisu…
And this rather gorgeous New York Cheesecake, Andrea loved it though she claimed to be ‘all about the biscuit base’ and would have preferred a slightly bigger digestive crunch.
The four of us really enjoyed our dinner at Bocconcino – the internet is an incredible thing isn’t and I’m so pleased to have met so many people that I have so much in common with through blogging.
Bocconcino
19 Berkeley Street
London
w1J 8ED
020 7 499 4510
Our set menu items were complimentary