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Loco - neighbourhood Italians from Tony and Giorgio

Loco  222 Munster Road London SW6 Tel: 020 7381 6137

I've often wondered why in some fashionable and residential areas of our city, packed with twenty and thirty-something's keen to dine out locally, it has often been hard to find somewhere decent to eat. Munster Road in Fulham has been a classic example of this predicament - until now, as Loco has recently opened. Loco is an Italian restaurant mini-chain founded by Giorgio Locatelli (Zafferano) and Tony Allen (Fish!) on the back of their TV series.

We arrived straight into a warm and bustling atmosphere. The main dining room consisting of a combination of bare brick and spotlights, ceiling fans, with wooden floors and tables. In contrast there is a boudoir styled room separated from the main restaurant by huge lush red velvet drapes and candelabra that give it a very intimate atmosphere - perfect for a romantic dinner a deux.

The idea behind Loco is to create a good, authentic local restaurant, as would be found in any town in Italy. The bread and pasta is made in their own kitchen and all the food is freshly prepared on site. It's the sort of place where one could eat a really authentic pizza or pasta very reasonably, or splash out a little more on a steak or some fresh fish.

There were eight starters to chose between which included antipasti vegetarian, a Tuscan salad with asparagus, peas, broad beans, faro, rocket and pecorino, and a vegetable and lentil soup with parmesan. I was in the mood for a light meal and began with bresaola with lemon, rocket and parmesan. It was simply executed, with good, fresh ingredients, and wonderful aged Parmesan. The only thing it lacked was a drizzle of olive oil. To accompany this I had a glass of Chenin Blanc, Vin D'Stel from South Africa '04. It was light, with a hint of bite with a touch of fruit and a sweetness and oilyness that went well with my starter. My guest commenced with a plate of Parma ham and figs, he said it was well presented with a good flavour.

Moving on to the main courses, there were plenty of wonderful sounding pasta dishes, including seafood fettuccini and black tagliolini with crab, garlic, chilli and tomatoes. I resisted both these and other temptations, such as wild mushroom risotto, instead ordering the cod fillet with clams, mussels, tomato and saffron. The memory still lingers, the cod being moist with a good bite and full of flavour whilst plump, tender mussels and succulent prawns all blended superbly with the tomato sauce in a soup like base. This was a big helping served with a spoon and fork and is very much recommended by myself! My guest ordered what turned out to be a massive scotch rib steak on the bone with herb roast potatoes. He said it was cooked exactly as he'd asked for it - medium rare, the meat being of a high quality and exceptionally succulent. To accompany this he chose a soft and velvety Syrah Malbec, Mendoza 03, from Argentina, remarking it had an oaked nose with a good balance of acidity and fruit, was full bodied with a warm ruby colour.

To finish, I had a slice of wonderfully creamy lemon and mascapone tart. It had a cheesecake base, was rich with a good flavour and a subtle kick of lemon. My guest had to have the panacotta with baked peaches - as it is one of his favourite puds. He was in rapturous! Saying it was one of the best he had, the combination with the baked peaches working superbly together.

Judging by the animated crowd that packed this place, I'd say that Loco looks as if it is going to become quite a hit with Fulham's cognoscente. All the necessary ingredients are here, good food at reasonable prices, a fun and lively atmosphere and a warm Italian welcome.

Louise Elgin. September 2004

Starters: £3.95 - £6.95 Pizzas: £6.95 Mains: £9.95 - 16.95 Puddings: £4.75 - £6.95 
House wine £11.95 per bottle

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