Sometimes we like to try out a new-ish restaurant by sending just one city-eating foodie. We believe that unless the restaurant is full to bursting, solo diners should be treated the same way as a party of six. If you're made to feel uncomfortable, why would you return with friends? At Caponata, our undercover diner was given a warm welcome and left to choose her own seat. A very good start. Now, on to the important stuff, the food:
The ground floor osteria and bar is less formal than the upstairs restaurant, with Ikea-inspired white furniture and big windows overlooking Camden's Delancey Street. There's lots of blond wood and an unusual wall of greenery near the back where the sunshine spills in through the skylight. It's part of the new-ish Forge venue so there is live music in the osteria on certain days.
Anyway, arancini! Three different fillings - beef ragu, ham and mozzarella, and spinach - encased in creamy saffron risotto. These are often dismissed as little more than deep-fried leftovers, but here each one had a distinct flavour - the best being the rich meaty ragu. The roasted pepper sauce was tepid (possibly on purpose) but worked well with crispyness of the arancini.
Classic spaghetti and meatballs: Not quite like Mama used to make but the hearty portion really hit the spot on that rainy afternoon. The meatballs were good, not too coarse and with plenty of garlic, and the simple tomato sauce benefited from the unusual addition of fresh mint. A Sicilian flourish perhaps? This was a tasty dish but a very safe choice - we would go back to try the more adventurous pasta and fish dishes on the ristorante menu.
The Sicilian lemon 'torta' looks more like cake to us and was quite dense, though its zingy lemon flavour was a great way to cleanse the palate. The prickly pear sorbet had a subtle, almost muted flavour which worked well with the citrus kick and the bold coulis. A glass of Moscato proved too sweet - coffee probably would have been the smart choice.
While our solo diner's safe choices probably contributed to the overall lack of wow factor, we're convinced you could eat very well here. The set menu is a bargain at £15 for three courses and you're still not exactly spoilt for choice for foodie hang-outs in Camden. We'll be back for a return visit so if anyone has any recommendations from the ristorante menu, do get in touch.
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