There are so many shiny restaurants in Soho these days that it can be easy to get sidetracked by the new and bypass the well established.
Mele e Pere’s been around for six years, which does qualify as well established by Soho standards, where the culinary landscape has seen more changes in lineup than the Sugababes.
It’s pretty unique. At first glance it’s another neon Instagrammable Central London eatery, but once downstairs in the dark, cavernous main restaurant, it becomes clear that it’s something with much more substance.
A seasonal Italian joint with an emphasis on homemade bread and pasta, but also with lots of adventurous twists and killer cocktails on the menu, it makes for an intriguing melding of traditional and modern. Slick urban bar upstairs meeting with rustic Milanese eatery downstairs.
This is something we’re seeing pop up more and more on London’s restaurant scene – the city’s diners are too cynical for twee traditional and roll their eyes at cutting edge modernity. So, many places are opting for a happy medium – but few pull it off as successfully as Mele e Pere.
The food is sensational. Their most memorable dish is perhaps their most simple – the best thing to ever be invented to go with a cold beer; plump green olives, filled with spicy nduja (pork salami) and then deep fried! Absolute heaven! Served with golden curls of the best calamari this side of the Balearic Sea, with an unforgettable smoked garlic aioli.
For the main, it was taglierini with shaved Umbria black truffle and grana padano. This wasn’t the paltry sprinkling of truffle that many restaurants pass off as a “truffle dish”; this was great, sumptuous slivers. It was apparent in the price though; £24 is certainly the top price bracket for a pasta dish.
There’s good value stuff on offer as well though – their lunch deal is great, at £9.50 for two courses.
With its no-frills stone interior and carbacious dishes dripping with rich flavour, Mele e Pere is as simple as it is indulgent. A salubrious Soho eatery, in a simultaneously old school and 21st century way. Somewhere to be classy and clandestine, sipping a full-bodied red with a full-bodied man.
Mele e Pere is at 46 Brewer Street, W1F 9TF. For bookings and full menu options, check out their website.
