We came, we saw, we were conquered.
The fit-out must have been expensive. Rustic Italian, it has a relaxed, urban feel (if that’s not a contradiction in terms).
Starters were slow-cooked cannellini beans with Tuscan sausage (intense flavours) and prawn and crayfish cocktail (utterly refreshing).
Main courses were tagliolini with crabmeat, and calves liver, both perfect. We also had a bottle of white wine, Verdeca, Puglia 2008 (approx £16) which was modern, clean and intense, with a long finish.
The service was charming, professional but also relaxed.
All of this will be no surprise to those who’ve been to sister restaurants Osteria Pulcinella and Pincho, those very professional Church Street establishments.
But at Brocca, chef Pasquale Spaziano has raised standards to new levels. Despite the mid-market positioning Riversniffers has no hesitation in tagging Brocca under “fine dining”.
For a fine Italian meal, the lucky residents of St Margarets can now choose between Brocca at one end of the village, and the more formal A Cena at the other end, near Richmond Bridge.
Let’s hope we don’t get spoilt by too much choice. Who’d of thought it would ever happen to St Mags?
Oh, almost forgot – the bill? Including a couple of coffees and a generous tip, £65 for two.
You owe it to yourself to go. But book early – the word is spreading.
Brocca Antika
139 St Margarets Road
Twickenham
TW1 1RG
Tel: 020 8891 2644
