3rd February 2008
I liked Latium
Latium had been on my radar for a while after reading a few rave reviews from Italian expats who claimed it was an authentic, under-rated gem. So we ventured there one Friday evening for an end of week treat.
First impressions were good. Stylish but cosy interior, mood music, comfortable seating, and very friendly and knowledgeable service. Latium specialise in filled pasta - ravioli, tortellini and so on, but there was a very good range of dishes on offer, not to mention an all-Italian wine list offering something for everyone. After hearing our brief, our waiter suggested a bottle of wine that turned out to be exactly what we were after. He was very proud to inform us that it was a wine he had recommended to the owner and he seem chuffed that it has been added to the extensive cellar. We noticed later that he had successfully promoted it to neighboring tables too.
As we settled in to peruse the menu (£28 for 3 courses), we were given some tasty little appetisers which we polished off greedily. Once we had ordered, a basket of mixed breads arrived, accompanied by some good olive oil. Our starters arrived swiftly - a little too swiftly, but they looked good. I had the Crab Tortelli with rocket sauce and AM had the Pappardelle with hare ragout. Both pasta's were perfectly cooked, and the flavours of the tortelli dish were subtle yet intriguing.
Main course for AM was the Roast breast of Gressingham duck with Umbrian lentils and endive timbale, welted spinach, while I chose the Grilled fillet of beef wrapped with courgettes and pancetta, mashed potato and wild chicory. Both were beautifully presented and generous sized serves. The duck was pink and flavoursome, and the beef just melted in your mouth, and I loved the flavour combination of the courgette and pancetta.
Full, but pushing on, we continued to dessert. I had the Chocolate & almond tart with amaretto sauce - it looked more like a pudding than a tart, but that didn't matter, it was rich and almondy. AM had the Ravioli filled with apple, pine-kernels, cinnamon raisin and vanilla sauce, which was magnificent, though the serving size was too small (not that we were still hungry, it was just a bit stingy).
We thought it was all over, but when we asked for the bill they appeared with an assortment of petit fours, most of which we bravely managed to polish off. Latium, we will return.
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