-
Just wanted to make a note about this new place. If you are local to the area (like me!) then it's well worth popping in and trying this cafe/restaurant like we did. We had great pizza and the staff were so friendly. Another thing was it was a good place to remember to take the kids: food is the kind they would like too and the place feels welcoming to families which I can't say about everywhere!
-
There's already a thread about it.
http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/comment/47834#Comment_47834
-
It's a shame about this cod-spontaneous paid-for advertising drivel (see post one above), since the place is not really too bad and I quite liked it. But this kind of obviously put-up pap just makes me not want to go.
-
Agreed. In fact I was going to take the missus there for dinner on Friday, but was a bit put-out by the garbage on the previous thread. Then I heard about The Bull, and my mind was made up.
Il Piccolo - pack it in. We're not stupid, and you're harming your business. -
I believe misscara is working at the Bull on Friday, so should be a good night to visit.
-
I know she is, she booked me in!
-
@Arkady: "Il Piccolo - pack it in. We're not stupid, and you're harming your business"
But for some reason we sre cool with Misscara plugging her place of work, (apparently) the Bull, right?
[shome mishtake, shurely? Ed]
-
misscara is an active member of the forum who contributes to many discussions and lives in the area. She just happens to have got a job at the Bull and told us about it. She hasn't joined up with the express reason of pimping her business. So, yes, we are cool with it.
-
Even aside from the fact that Misscara was essentially invited to tell us, the difference is honesty Joe.
-
It's why Ash of Fruit&Veg and the people at Seasons and Vagabond got a good response - because they came on here saying who they were. And because they're running good businesses.
-
Perhaps some of the comments that were made about Il piccolo diavolo, I have to agree with You, were exaggerated and may be biased and perhaps have really been made by our customers or customer/friends with the intention of wanting to help us, but I want to say that it was absolutely NOT our intention divert mislead or try to get publicity 'infiltration in your blog. My nickname is' Slainte, and I introduced myself as a manager of the place since the presentation.
Always at your disposal for any clarification that You may Have.Buona serata a tutti.
-
Today had a very nice burger, salad and fries, and a decent slab of walnut and coffee cake ...
-
OK. I'll go back.
-
*****Genuine Review Alert*******Genuine Review Alert**********
Went there last night. Believe the hype, the food is fantastic. We're having our kitchen re-done, so for 2 weeks we're eating out every day and as a consequence venturing to places we might have overlooked before.For starters we had "Suppli di Riso" or deep fried beef ragu rice balls at £1.50 and "Bruschetta made in Sud", Rocket, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato, olives, parmasan cheese and pesto at £5.50. The rice balls were good, but the freshness of all the ingredients in the bruschetta together with olive oil made in incredible. Best ive had in a long time.For mains, i had Milanese at £12.80, which surprisingly came with bolognese rather than pomodoro on the spaghetti. Not that i cared, it was excellent. The bolognese had obviously been cooked for hours and the chicken escalope was crisp but succulent. Other dish was Pizza Bufalina at £9.80. Buffalo Mozzarella, Parma Ham, Rocket, and cherry tomatoes. Best i've had in a long time too, and i'm a regular at Papagone which is best in class! The difference with this is that most of the items go on fresh rather than baked. 50% of the cheese is just placed on the top, and when its the super soft delcious mozzarella you wonder why others don't do that. The base was soft and crispy at the same time.The decor's a bit odd, in that its a nice space but its filled with rather random modern chairs and tables, and there's a chandelier thrown in for good measure, but its not a big deal really. You also get a mix of Michael Buble and the Italian soft rock top 10 on the stereo.....kind of like that though.Give the guys a chance and have a look in. I think you'll be genuinely surprised by the quality and the freshness. I think they'll find it hard with the stiff local competition, but they only have a few tables and it won't take much to keep them full. We will return. -
I'm sure you're right about the food @Brodiej. I think the problem @slainte (and he is a genuinekly nice guy) might experience is that the ambience is more of a cafe than a trattoria or restaurant. People will go in for a coffee but not expect to eat well. (It is in fact quite Italian in a way - all it needs is a TV set on in the corner).
Not quite sure what to suggest - more dark wood tables (or glass), some circular, darker-coloured walls, some fabric.....? A different style that just says 'more than just a caff'. Compare with Season (also good food, at silly prices) or BBM (just different somehow - food on display). Quite an expensive refit perhaps? I do think Londoners expecting to eat well also have certain expectations and preconceptions about their surroundings.
-
I'm no expert but I'd be tempted to turn the overhead light down a bit of an evening to make it less bright and more cosy.
Good luck to them, especially if the food is as good as suggested.
-
I've just realised what the dining room reminds me of... The Regret Rien.
The food is much better, of course. I've been twice now and I'll definitely be going back.
-
Lighting = good thinking. Yes, good luck to them.
-
@krappyrubsnif. Yeah, i know what you mean. When you look at the front of the place, the Italian menu is a second thought behind English cafe offers like breakfast etc. Its perfectly understandable to do this as you're more likely to sell English fare at breakfast/lunch than a full on Italian meal, but it lowers the expectations overall. Focus on being an Italian restaurant first, a cafe second. If the coffee is good, then they could promote authentic Italian coffee with biscotti or pastries? That would be a USP for SG.
I think they just need to develop some warmth. I'd introduce table cloths for a start in a bid to add some texture and to bring some uniformity to all the furniture. Maybe some photos from home or of the family might be nice too.
@Slainte. What do you reckon?
-
Had two simple but great pizzas there tonight. Plus the boss was very sweet and welcoming. Personally the refurb at La Porcetta leaves me totally cold, like some home counties hotel idea of class, all chrome and steel in a it-aint-broke-so-lets-fix-it-anyway; and Papagone seems too hectic, like eating on a tube train in rush hour. So good people of the Crouch - let's get behind this good new place (amazing value at 2 for 1 eat in pizzas + pastas) and as boogaloo king Bobby Valentin would say - use it before you lose it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrT2wPK1ZqM -
I'd go red and white checked table cloths, dim lights and the old straw wine bottles with a candle in on the tables.
Proper stereotypical old school Italian - which people actually quite liked.
It's a look that's prime for revival, that's what I'd have done at La Porchetta (which I still love)
@Lemmy, I agree the La Porchetta refurb has been a bit generic, but I'm not sure it fell into the it-ain't-broke-so-lets-fix-it-anyway pile, in light of the plaster and paint falling off the walls and those two bare breeze block doorways -
First of all I would like to thank all the bloggers who are writing about Il piccolo diavolo,
it's always nice to see that what you are trying to do, especially in the catering, receives appreciation,...where also a right and constructive criticism is always more than welcome.
Concerning all the possible improvements and change that have been suggested, well, we are also thinking about this, however, we think that all these changes take a little time, to define and why not also satisfy all the preferences that our customers will want to propose or suggest .
Meanwhile, last but not least we hope that You continue to enjoy our food and our hospitality
A presto
Ciao Ciao
Ps : we have also opened a blog@ ilpiccolodiavolo.wordpress.com
still under construction but, it is already possible to see some restaurant picture and evening menu to download. -
Hi there,we are now showing live italian football, in case You are interested .
As usual You are more than welcome to join us at the week end or in the mid week , to watch
the serie A fixture.
Will be offering a complimentary glass of house wine or a bottle of beer to all stroud green bloggers.
Ciao a presto
-
Had a really good meal here last week. Awsome starters and pizzas were a step above papagone or la porcetta. Staff were friendly, helpful and seemed to have a genuine passion for Italian cooking. My only disappointment was the distracting music and TV ... Just didn't feel appropriate for an evening meal, even if they're trying to create an informal atmosphere.
-
the tv is a real no no for me
-
Went there last night with my boyfriend as we couldn't be bothered to cook. The pasta dishes were outstanding. I had one of the specials - big bits of ravaoli filled with butternut squash. I am a devotee of Papagone's but I sometimes thunk the ingredients taste rather processed. The food last night tasted really fresh and they grated the Parmesan from a big block. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great as well with dimmed lights, tablecloths and candles. We loved it. Will definitely go back.
-
Hey, we just had breakfast at your restaurant, it's a lovely atmosphere with very friendly staff, however I thought I should give you some tips- as I want you to do well!
It's not easy saying this, but we felt the food needed more flavour. My salad came with no dressing, a sprinkle of vinegar and lemon juice would have made it feel more like a salad and less like a garnish.Perhaps if you came up with some better salad options (more interesting flavours, less sandwich filling like) you could do special offers, like choose 3-4 salads take away for £4, or something along those lines for summer. Price labels for salads, sandwiches & cakes on the window would be really helpful, often people panic when they can't immediately see a price & just keep walking.This of course is only my opinion and I'm only suggesting this because I want you to stay and I feel a little more detail is all that is really needed. The restaurant itself is lovely, staff super friendly.... so I would just focus on creating better dishes- it doesn't have to be expensive.See you again soon. X -
Salad for breakfast?
-
We returned once again last night. I can confirm that it was full! A great sight to see a business do well purely because the food is outstanding...just took a little while for everyone to hear the news.
We had arancini (rice balls) and mozzarella, tomato and avocado salad. Lovely and fresh. Then we had Pizza Buffalina (which we think is the best on both stroud green road and now crouch hill) and homemade ravioli with tomato and basil. Half a litre of house wine, £36.The tv is there but its turned off. I noticed that they've introduced a big sandwich menu for lunchtime with both English and Italian variations. If the main food is anything to go by, the sandwiches will be incredible. Pop by and give them a try. -
Dairy does do food during the day, at least it used to!
-
isn't the caff in the park supposed to be OK these days ... I do miss the Italians that ran its previous building.
-
Just to continue on the slight tangent - anywhere in SG open tonight for dinner? (apart from Petek though, we've been there a few times recently).
Back on topic though - we had a very nice fry up here a couple of weeks ago. Strangely The Dairy didn't do breakfast, which is how we ended up here. -
@missannie - my first though was 'salad for breakfast'
...and wanting a better selection of tastier salads for breakfast? ain't nobody got time for that.
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
- All Discussions3,729
- About this site369
- Classifieds199
- General chat768
- Local discussion2,316
- Reviews77
In this Discussion
- ActionVerb May 14
- Aisha March 31
- Arkady May 14
- barnesbq April 24
- Brodiej April 21
- gardener-joe April 23
- Idoru January 19
- Jonathan January 22
- kman March 31
- krappyrubsnif January 22
- Lemmy January 25
- Lololala March 25
- Mirandola January 20
- miss annie April 23
- N2n4 April 23
- Papa L January 26
- poxy January 22
- slainte March 6
- Slowtoes March 13
- tosscat 8:45AM
