SPUNTINO (Soho)

Category: Bistro (££)

I kind of thought I had written up Spuntino long ago. It appears I haven’t… So some words about the current bloggers’ favourite. In this case I absolutely and completely agree with the Spuntino-Hype. It is an amazing place, so much fun! We went there on a Friday evening which is a mistake if you are  hungry. As we knew what we were up against, I didn’t mind waiting at this occasion.  Spuntino is very small, around 25 or so seats around on the counter around the central bar area, and has a no booking policy. It’s quite comfortable to queue leaning against the wall where there is also space to put down your drinks. Yes you get served in the queue and yes I was very drunk long before we got to sit down to order some food.

I should probably mention at the point that Spuntino is the little brother of Polpo and Polpetto, we are talking creative restaurateurs here.

rather nice dirty martinis , I think they were only 5£ or am I wrong?

The menu, even though small, is full of dishes I want to try, and it is on the cheap side. Of course considering the amount of alcohol you have consumed before eating, the bill adds up… The food has a clear American theme to it with some American-Italian influences. American Rock ‘n’ Roll in the background and adorable guys with tattoos serving  makes for a unique and particularly charming atmosphere.

Finally we have a seat (to which we stagger at this point). The nice people at Spuntino immediately serve us some fresh popcorn. Unfortunately it was too salty, but one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth…

The Eggplant Chips (4) with caraway seeds went perfectly with the fresh and cold fennel yogurt.  

Then there come the cutest burgers in the universe, and I forget to take a picture because I am just too greedy and they were gone within seconds. The best thing is that they have the perfect size to try all varieties! At this occasion we go for the Ground Beef and Bone Marrow Slider (4.50) which is tasty and succulent and the delectable Salt Beef Slider

Another fun dish yet to come: Truffled Egg Toast (£5.50). Plenty of gooey cheese, runny egg and the wonderful flavour of truffle amalgamate in the perfect guilty pleasure.

Also good but comparably less exciting were the Calamari, chick peas, ink (7). Considering that I avoid squid usually because I hate it when it is too chewy (which it just too often is), this one was perfectly tender and went very well with the chickpeas and the pitch black ink.

I had read in other bloggers’ review about the Peanut Butter Sandwich with Jelly (6.50) which I considered a must try. What a great idea to make the ‘sandwich bread’ out of peanut ice cream. Give me more!

Here you have some Brown Sugar Cheese Cake with Plums. I didn’t think that plums went so well with the cheese cake, which by the way was an absolute cheese-cake heaven.

We ended up making the closing time with plenty more drinks and we even made some friends. Dear Spuntino, I like you very much, you don’t only create lovely food but you make me smile. 
• Food: 7.5/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Service: 8/10
• Value for money: 8.5/10
• Chances of returning: 100%
• Verdict: What a wonderful addition to Soho, I will be back many many times!

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