Finding a decent Italian in London shouldn’t be this hard. Half the places get so caught up in technique and plating that the actual eating becomes an afterthought. The other half pop a wood oven in the window and call it a day, churning out pizza without character. I wanted neither. I wanted somewhere that just got on with it – good pizza, good pasta, proper seafood, no theatre. Faros turned out to be just that.
With another location in Oxford Street, the Holborn venue was perfectly small and unfussy, one could easily walk past without registering, if not for the sound of laughter coming from the outdoor seating. A bottle of Puglian Verdeca was already chilling on the table by the time the calamari fritti arrived.
The octopus carpaccio did more of the talking. Thin slices of octopus laid out beneath a small tower of green salad, asparagus spears threaded through it, shaved fennel and pink peppercorns scattered across the plate. It tasted like a terrace somewhere on the Amalfi coast, not a side street near Holborn tube.
The pappardelle with 6 hour cooked beef ragu turned up in a wide bowl, ribbons of pasta loose and glossy, the beef shredded through a red wine sauce thick with garlic and chilli. The risotto mare was equally delicious, but in a completely different direction. Rice cooked to a slow bite with prawns, squid and clams folded through a punchy tomato sauce.
There’s only one way to finish a gorgeous Italian meal like this – Tiramisu. Faros’ homemade version overflowed with thick mascarpone. Nothing fancy, yet every element is perfect. But we weren’t done there. Attracted to the golden ‘new’ badge, the salted caramel panna cotta had to be tried, a wobble of cream under a pool of homemade caramel, flaked almonds scattered across the top for crunch.
No tricks, no plating gymnastics, just two rooms doing classic Italian and Mediterranean food the way it’s meant to be done.
57 Grays Inn Rd, Holborn | 22-24 Great Portland St. Oxford Circus
