40 Dean Street is, without a doubt, one of the best Italian restaurants in London. There are no checked mantle tops here, olive trees, or any of the other cliches you’ll normally find in an Italian establishment. The ambience is welcoming and lively, the decoration, eclectic, warm and full of colour, a reflection of its owner’s personality, Nima Safaei.
The patrons are as diverse as the décor. From 30-somethings working in the trendy stores of the surrounding streets to tourists attracted by the allure of Soho, alongside a few old residents of the area, who have lived here since the neighbourhood became fashionable back in the 1980s when designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Mary Quant and John Richmond moved into the area.
The menu offers everything you’ll want from a top Italian restaurant. From traditional carpaccio of bresaola to classic chicken milanese with spaguetti pomodoro. The wine list is generous and reasonably priced. We went for a bottle of Barbaresco Terre Sabaude 2020. Ruby red in colour, its nose is full of ripe berries and spice, the palate rich in fruit with silky tannins. This wine has a good body and a great structure. Great for a pasta-based meal.
Some of the gorgeous dishes at 40 Dean Street. From the top left: goat’s cheese and beetroot salad, risotto with porcini mushroom and butternut squash, penne arrabbiata, and tempura courgette flower filled with ricotta.
A speciality here you shouldn’t miss is the tempura courgette flower, filled with ricotta and truffle paste, served with a drizzle of honey. It came perfectly crispy – but not oily – and well-seasoned, two things that sound easy but are often substandard in my experience when ordering this starter. The addition of the truffle actually enhanced all the other flavours rather than overpowering them. In all honesty, I can’t remember the last time I had courgette flowers so beautifully done.
Another dish to remember is the ravioli lobster, filled with fresh lobster meat in a shellfish bisque sauce. Normally one is lucky if more than a morsel of the crustacean is found in the plate. At 40 Dean Street, it is completely the opposite, I’ll even dare to say that there is as much lobster as pasta, coated in a delicious bisque, creamy and extremely smooth. Once I finished the pasta, I had to resist the temptation of scooping up the bits of leftover sauce with my finger.
The gnocchi with wild mushrooms, smoked mozzarella and truffle oil are definitely worth a try. Hearty and earthy, this is the definition of comfort food, especially in this arctic-cold weather. I love mushrooms and I am addicted to cheese, so this was paradise on a plate for me.
Three desserts at 40 Dean Street: chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel cheesecake with pistachio ice cream and vanilla panna cotta with berries compote.
The portions are very generous so if you want to keep it light, a good option instead of pasta would be a salad. My favourite is goat’s cheese with beetroot, served with walnuts, pear and pomegranate. Like with all the other dishes, the balance of flavours here is perfect, with the acidity of the pomegranate cutting through the sweetness of the honey dressing and complementing the cheese.
If you go for a salad, you may have space to try one of the desserts. The menu is full of tempting options, such as chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel cheesecake with pistachio ice cream, and vanilla panna cotta with mixed berries compote. Only thinking about them is making my mouth water.
For an Italian gourmet experience, look no further than 40 Dean Street. I honestly loved the place, so much so that I have been sending friends there since I visited it for the first time, including those with four-legged friends, who are welcomed by Nima and his team.
Book your table, HERE.
Author: Julia Pasarón
Explore other restaurant recommendations by the I-M Inquisitive Minds team HERE.
Images: Luke Santilli photography
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