Fabrizio

choucroute

Great food - such a shame about the decor 29th September 2009

0 found this helpful

I am a Fabrizio's regular and love it all - the guinea fowl is out of this world and the pasta spot on.
Am I the only customer who hates the pale green on the walls? Fabrizio, if you are listening, could you PLEASE consider a lick of paint? Anything warm will do, I'm not fussy, but sick green really does put one off the wonderful stuff on the plate.

lbreed

Lovely food - great service 21st October 2008

0 found this helpful

Lovely little bistro style restaurant with a casual decor. We highly recommend the spinach & chevre tart and chicken liver starter. We had the specials for the main course. Our venison was beautifully cooked and tasty. The butternut ravioli was home made and very flavorful.

arif

I like it 28th April 2008

0 found this helpful

Yes it is great and i like it

sue

Great Pasta 3rd April 2008

4 found this helpful

After reading all of the rave reviews about Fabrizio I had been very keen to go there for a meal, and was excited when the opportunity finally arose to dine there one evening.

Based on the reviews I had read, I wasn't expecting the restaurant to be fancy looking - and it wasn't, though I have seen worse. I did thank my lucky stars however that we weren't there on a busy night and had to sit downstairs near the toilets - this whole area smelt like Venice on a bad day.

Service was friendly enough, though there was no sign of the famed Fabrizio himself. The menu had enough choices to appeal to all of us, and a chilled glass of Prosecco helped us to get the evening underway. The wine list was not very exciting, so we stuck to a bottle of the House red which was cheap and entirely drinkable.

Our meal started out well. We ordered two pasta dishes to share between the three of us - the Crab & mascarpone ravioli with creamy lemon sauce & rocket, and the Aubergine & pecorino tortelloni with French beans & sage sauce. Both dishes were really enjoyable - the pasta was perfectly cooked and the all the flavours worked.

Our main meals were a little less successful. We had the Seared beef tagliata with balsamic reduction, rocket & potatoes; the Medallions of lamb crusted with herb, with cranberry & port sauce, & mashed potato; and the Pan fried seabass with creamy pernod sauce & wilted spinach. The beef was a little tough and the balsamic reduction was over-powering; while the lamb was good quality, the flavour of the sauce was just wrong; and the Seabass was nicely cooked but swimming in the creamy pernod sauce. Maybe we are too fussy.

Wanting to love this restaurant, we pushed on to dessert, opting to share a serving of Tiramisu. Sorry to say, it was possibly the worst Tiramisu I have ever had. The main complaint was that although it looked like a decent serving, 2/3rds of it was just whipped cream covered with cocoa, and the small cakey part was unremarkable.

Lacrimosa at 04/04/08

Oh no! Must admit, I usually just order a pasta main here, occasionally with a starter.

Jimbo at 11/04/08

Aaah, they look yummy though.

Add Comment

Cedric

Brilliant 2nd December 2007

1 found this helpful

This is indeed a very good choice if you are looking for a restaurant, or if you are an Italian-food lover like I am. This small venue is puzzling at the first look, small, minimalistic deco... I initially thought that I had been istaken. But the surprises lay in the food. The chef is really knowledgeable, present both in the kitchen and the front room to advice and engage with the customers. I opted for crab linguini which were not even on the menu but which had been cooked for the couple of Italian sitting on the next table and who happened to be relatives of the waitress... A special that I have not regretted with its fresh mushrooms and the delicate sauce. Overall, the four of us really enjoyed the evening in this restaurant which, although located in the other side of the city, might see us again very soon. I strongly recommend this venue!

sokratis

Molto Bene 23rd May 2007

1 found this helpful

This is the type of place that TrustedPlaces was made for. A true gem that you're most likely to come across through a recommendation from a friend.
The surrounding office buildings, NCP car park and the unimpressive entrance certainly don't let out that there is an amazing Italian restaurant hidden in there.
Fabrizio is a superstar who really takes care of his food and clients. Very friendly and knowledgeable guy when it comes to food.
A typically north Italian selection will really leave your pallette and stomach satisfied. Everything from starter to dessert was absolutely spot-on. Not cheap, but not expensive by any means and totally worth it.

Lacrimosa

One of the best Italian restaurants in London 1st April 2007

3 found this helpful

Fabrizio's has been one of my favourite places to eat in London for several years now. The food is, quite simply, fabulous, and reasonably priced given the quality. As Ladis19 mentioned, the decor was updated at the start of 2007, but the place still has a comfortable feel. As such, Fabrizio's is a very versatile restaurant: as well as having cosy meals for two, I've taken a group of colleagues here, and have popped in by myself for a quick pasta at lunchtime. Situated as it is near the corner of St Cross Street and Leather Lane (disregard the inaccurate google map above), Fabrizio's is well off the usual tourist routes, but dead handy for those working or living in the Farringdon, Holborn and Clerkenwell areas. Nearest tubes are Farringdon and Chancery Lane.

On my latest visit, a Thursday in March 2007, we were the first people to arrive at 6.30pm, but the restaurant filled gradually with other diners while were there. Bread, olives and tap water are complimentary. I had crispy tiger prawns with bacon, asparagus and cherry tomato to start; Henrietta had pan-fried mullet fillets with truffle oil and salad garnish. For my main course I had roast venison tagliata with plums, brandy sauce and mashed potatoes: Henrietta had cuttlefish ink risotto with tiger prawns, green peas and cherry tomato. Together with a huge dish of mixed green vegetables, wine and coffee for two, the bill came to just £66, gratuity included.

As many others have noted, Fabrizio is well-known for emerging from his kitchen to say hello and have a bit of a chat with his customers. London is a big place, yet this is one of the very few places where my face is remembered - indeed, if I'm working in the area, I often bump into Fabrizio at 9am as he's opening up, and he'll stop for a chat then also! While this might be a bit of a drawback for those craving anonymity, it's worth remembering that there are plenty of other places in London where one can go and be anonymous. By way of contrast, it's obvious that Fabrizio and his family take a personal pride in what they do. For example, my cafe machiato once arrived when I had nipped to the ladies. Rather than let it sit on the table getting cold, the waitress apparently insisted on taking it away so she could bring me a freshly made one once I reappeared. Service like that is rare, even at the 'best' restaurants.

In short, I cannot recommend Fabrizio's highly enough. Eat, drink, and enjoy!

walid at 30/03/08

Great review, Lacrimosa! We had our TrustedPlaces Christmas dinner at Fabrizio's and everyone had a great time as you can tell from the reviews below. Now that our offices are not too far from Fabrizio we will have to resist the temptation to going over there for dinner after a late night work.

Anonymity is alright, but recognizing that friendly face in the kitchen brings this added level of trust that you're going to have a great lunch/dinner.

Add Comment

Ladis19

New Deco 17th January 2007

0 found this helpful

Fabrizio's has just been redecorated and now has a much more homely feel to it. The food is still as amazing as always.

I've attached some pictures of the new deco.

raffaella_volpe

20th December 2006

1 found this helpful

I have dinner at Fabrizio on a regular basis, even if it is on the other side of the town from where I live, because I think it is one of the best Italian restaurants on this island…and beyond!
Fabrizio, the chef, is an amazing cook and a lovely person. By consequence the food is superb and the service is impeccable.
The atmosphere is very relaxing (it is not a swanky place…) and I always feel at my ease. The wine list is also good, offering a selection of South Italian wines like Greco di Tufo or Nero D'Avola. Definitely worth the ‘journey effort'!

alevy

Clerkenwell Italian 13th December 2006

1 found this helpful

Fabrizio is from Sicily. I mention this because Southern Italy has a tradition for peasant food that differs significantly from the wealthy north, where fine ingredients about. But in the south, chefs have to do more with less. Take those chefs out of Southern Italy, and they still have the, erm, chops to bring the most out of the ingredients... but put them here in London they have a richer pallette of ingredients to work with.

At Fabrizio's, you'll benefit fully from this blend. On the menu alongside a braised venison in a juniper/red wine reduction, you'll find speck-wrapped monkfish over a bed of spinach. Fabrizio brings together the best tastes from all around Italy, mixes it with solid execution, and serves it at a very reasonable price.

An interesting thing to note about Fabrizio's is the location -- it's tucked away in Clerkenwell, right where you might find yourself heading out for a night of drinks and/or dancing. Far too often, we all go out on an empty stomach (I can still hear my friend Al saying "You don't put solid fuel in a liquid engine.") But Fabrizio's location makes it the perfect stop before a long night out... for those of us who don't choose alternative fuel to propel us through a night of clubbing. And for those who are in cars, there's ample parking in the neighbourhood at dinner time.