The first time I ever visited Incanto a few years ago, I remember asking the maitre d’ “does your restaurant have a Michelin star? Because it sure feels like it should!”. He smiled and replied “not yet but hopefully one day”. Fast forward three years and even after a refurbishment which has significantly improved the restaurant’s first floor interior (mirrors and wooden flooring now a feature) I am surprised that this little Italian gem has still not been picked up by those elusive inspectors.
So why I am banging on about this place? Incanto truly pays homage to Italy’s finest dishes. We were greeted with warm breads followed not far behind with a pea risotto and parmesan ball amuse bouche (that’s small appetizer for the rest of us). The star dish has to be the egg ravioli which oozes rich orange yolk the moment you cut through the perfectly cooked pasta. Head Chef, Ciprian Marginead, leaves no stone unturned with the ragu pappardelle, another stand out dish, the oxtail meat is cooked so slowly it just melts in your mouth.

I ordered the pan fried pollock with lentils Castellucciano for my main course. These small brown Umbrian lentils hail from a region in Italy, Castellucio, and are farmed on a three year crop with wheat and pasture. The capers gave the fish that bit of sharp acidity that it needed and the accompanying spinach was just right. Mr.N who is usually quite daring surprised me and ordered the slow cooked chicken breast. Chicken, I thought, well when you have the choice of beef meatballs and pork belly, why go for boring old chicken? After one mouthful, I got it. The chicken was tender, the mash potato rich and buttery and the trumpet mushrooms were delightful.

We shared the passion fruit cheesecake and what a cheesecake it was. The cheesecake was sharp and the sweet mango sorbet on the side complemented the sharpness very well. At the end of our meal, I tried the whole “I have just started blogging about food and will definitely write a piece about this place on my blog blah blah blah” to the very charming manager to see if I could possibly turn my own charm on and nab us some cheeky complimentary petit fours which I saw the couple opposite us receive with Happy Anniversary beautifully painted all over their plate in chocolate. We should have pretended it was our anniversary or birthday, I told Mr.N. We never got the petit fours. Sad face.
We took advantage of the three course offer for £22 which even now whilst I am writing this I find unbelievable considering this was a fraction of the price you will see on a central London menu. If you are looking to celebrate a special occasion and fancy somewhere that is Michelin quality without the Michelin price, I would highly recommend Incanto, that is until those inspectors finally give it a star. And remember, it’s your anniversary.
Food: 9.5/10   Atmosphere: 9/10   Value: 10/10 (based on three courses for £22)

If this restaurant were a fictional character it would be…. Johnny Castle, Dirty Dancing- romantic and dreamy yet understated.