Now when i found a ‘gem’, that doesn’t necessarily mean amazing food, but its does mean good food, at bargain (ish) prices. The restaurant itself is very 1970’s, incredibly over the top, dated and in urgent need of a revamp. The staff are extremely friendly and very attentive, which really makes this place. To get a real taste of the food one of us dined from the a la carte and myself, from the £12.50 set menu.
For daylight robbery, which costs you a mere £12.50 you’ll get a starter, something simple like the bruschetta i had and a choice of a few mains. The bruschetta, which is difficult to assemble wrong was served on some olive oil soaking, deceptively tasty bread. The tomato mixture had a nice garlic whaff to it and it all tasted very fresh. Personally i’d like a bit more olive oil and pepper, but with that on your table, you can always do it yourself. Its comfort food, and a lot of it. the other choice of starter was a classic 1970’s – soup of the day.
For main i opted for the spaghetti alla norma, which was pasta with aubergines, tomato, basil and ricotta. It looked like a complete and utter mess on the plate. But the pasta was well cooked, aubergines oily, roasted and smokey and the sauce was very rich and flavoursome. The grated cheese on stop was not the prettiest or greatest quality but once melted in it was perfectly fine. There was again, a lot of it and i was very full up by the last mouthful.
The fettuccine pasta in a bolognese sauce (using half beef and half pork meat), was rich, seasoned well and full of that traditional Italian homely taste that sends me back to my holiday in Bologna. All the pasta here is homemade which i love – though it was a tiny bit overcooked. For £11 this dish is very good value for money and you can really tell the dish is part of a family recipe. I struggle to find such richness in my bolognese sauces these days in London, there truly is an art to getting it right.
For dessert we both opted for the warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream. Again included as part of the a la carte and set menu, it was a healthy portion size and again we were pleasantly surprised, the pastry was buttery and flakey, the apple soft and nicely caramelised and a well flavoured dollop of ice cream sat perched on top. I’d happily come back for this dessert again, and perhaps a glass of dessert wine.
We left Arcadia, full, are pockets still carrying some change – and a lingering aftertaste from the delicious wines they had on offer. Don’t be put off by the decor, the staff are wonderful, clientele predominantly Italian (which is always a good sign) and i’m sure you’d have a great time. You may not be wowed but you’ll definitely leave happy. Next time i’m in the area i’ll try and get my hands on their Lobster – which looked delicious.
7/10
