Melanzana

An absolute gem in the heart of Battersea for casual dining. It's one of those rare Italian restaurants which manages to serve up great pizza as well as a range of beautifully cooked, authentic Italian dishes. Sure there's lasagne on the menu, but you'll also find rigatoni with wild boar ragu, pumpkin ravioli, and ossobucco. Tagliatelle with truffle oil and funghi is my personal favourite. They also have a good little deli counter serving up ciabatta sandwiches made to order. As a consequence it's a fairly mixed clientele: locals grabbing a sarnie, business lunches, yummy mummies meeting over coffee. And a fair few Italians, which is the real test. You may have to repeat yourself to be understood by the waitress (the place is run by “real” Italians) but service is friendly and prompt. The atmosphere is unstuffy and slightly rustic so probably lends itself more to the lunch crowd (although I've had great couple-y dinners here too). It was £25 in total for the lunch the 2 of us just had; no booze, but soft drinks and coffees included. I think this is very good value, especially given the quality of the food and cooking. With a place like this here there really is no need to suffer the service frustrations many complain about at Bennetts opposite.

I am not really sure why it has taken me so long to write this review as this is a venue I have held in high regard since I first stepped through its doors shortly after it opened. Maybe it is a personal concern that the casual diner may be drawn to the new Bennett which has opened and, visually at least, offers a somewhat more glamorous and appealing look. That is not to say that this is about knocking Bennett but merely to butress Melanzana. In short, I have always found the experience at Melanzana to be excellent. The food is uncomplicated but always really good. It has a real sense of having been cooked fresh and my only battle appears to be getting enough of my own dish before my daughter takes more than I anticipated when ordering. The Squaremeal review notes that Melanzana replaced the ‘dire’ Raven. I can remember other ventures before that and they would all also justify the same label. Melanzana was just what Battersea Square required and long may it continue. Give it a go!