Philpott's Mezzaluna

Philpott's is a Finchley Road institution. It is owned by David Philpott, who runs the kitchen, and Alex Ross, who is the maitre'd, and serves David's interpretation of Tuscan food. It has something of the atmosphere of a little rural Italian restaurant about it as you walk in (for some unknown reason), but that's quickly dispelled by the white table cloths, the Andy Warhol-like portraits of Italian-American celebrities on the walls, and the maitre'd's British accent. Alex and David started Philpott's in 2001, after the restaurant they worked at, Quincy's, was closed down. It is frequented by many people who live nearby, and happens to be a favourite of many retirees at Sunday lunchtime. There have been several occasions when the Pretty Lady and myself have been the only customers under 50. Which only goes to show that many younger people don't appreciate great food...

Philpott's Mezzaluna
424 Finchley Road
Child's Hill
London NW2 2HY
020 7794 0455

The best thing about Philpott's is that one gets good, tasty, down to earth Italian cooking, and lots of it. Helpings are huge, which are not good for my waistline, but fantastic for a treat when I have been too busy (or lazy) to eat more than a meal a day. This place definitely receives a very high score on my value for money scale. The menu also changes quite often, which makes every visit both interesting and fresh.

Dinner is slightly more expensive than lunch, but also more elaborate. Nevertheless, the dishes are generally similar, and I prefer visiting Philpott's lunch because it is generally less crowded and one can chat with Alex and have him recommend a particularly good wine or dish on the menu. The menus are ordered according to courses, and one can choose 2 or 3 course meals, or go for the whole shebang - 4 courses of starter, pasta, mains and dessert.

Starters tend to be fairly simple - a recent menu featured cold pea soup, grilled asparagus and a warm salad with grilled scallops. The dishes are generally well-executed with very good quality ingredients. I generally recommend the seafood-based starters, especially the seafood salads, as the chef is in his element with these - he matches dressings and flavours particularly well to the seafood of choice. The Pretty Lady likes the warm salad and scallops if it's on the menu, as there are (a) many scallops and (b) they are slightly more done than the usual grilled scallop in many restaurants, which is more to her taste. On her last visit though, she went for a dish of lobster with tarragon butter.

We generally don't have the pasta course separately, as both her stomach and mine have a limited capacity. I like to have some pasta as a starter occasionally, and I usually go for the stuffed ones - tortellini or ravioli, if it's available. Again, seafood is something the chef does particularly well, and I like the crab tortellini sauced with saffron (something which isn't available that often unfortunately). It's the best stuffed seafood pasta I've had so far, and that includes competition from several Italian restaurants in Italy, and Latium's oyster ravioli.

Mains are more Modern European than Italian. There's a lot of what one might call Italian influences, paired with good British produce. For example, one can occasionally get a saddle of lamb, seared to encrust the outside with herbs, then stewed with olives, which is something that the Italians do mostly with rabbit. Or perhaps a rib eye steak, served with gorgonzola and Barolo jus. As always, helpings are generous. I believe roast pigeon is also occasionally available, although I've never been lucky enough to visit when it is. On a recent visit they had grilled duck breast with mushrooms and stewed carrots, done to one's taste.

Desserts are perhaps Philpott's largest weakness. The Pretty Lady prefers to eschew dessert there, saying that the portions fill her up before she gets to the sweets. She occasionally does have the chocolate pudding in chocolate sauce though - very rich, very sinful, and she loves it (and so does her mother). I prefer to have the cheese, as I feel that Philpott's is the only restaurant I've ever been to that serves sufficient crackers to go with the cheese. Other than these two dishes, I feel that Philpott's desserts are not very well thought out. The flavours aren't that subtle, and the dessert themselves are often too sweet. This seems to be improving however - on our last visit the Pretty Lady and I shared a chestnut cake with apple caramel that was luscious, flavourful and satisfying.

The wine list is comprehensive, with some unusual ones available. They are generally Italian, but there are some selections from elsewhere - Chile and Argentina mostly. I appreciate Alex's recommendations - particularly the reds, as the main courses here tend to demand a full-bodied robust red wine.

I visit Philpott's whenever I'm really hungry, or just feel like eating good food with an Italian twist. It's very homely and welcoming, and I only wish it was closer to where I live.

Scores:

04 March 2008: TFQ = 25, CS = 23, S = 15, AD = 5, VfM = 9. Total = 76 points.

What does this mean?