Review of The Independent restaurant

The trouble starts with salami. Arriving before you’ve even ordered, amid a lip-smacking antipasto spread, it promptly derails any plan for restraint. That’s how owner-chef Mauro Callegari gets you: too many reasons to say yes.

His refreshed menu now pulls more ‘Italo’ from his Italo-Argentine heritage. Fresh pasta and pizza ripiena – Mum’s recipe – sit beside bistecca and octopus, starring produce from nearby farms and generous neighbours. Good luck choosing.

Spiced, crumbed hunks of morcilla are sharpened by smoky tomato pesto. Mussels arrive by scent before sight – lemon, herbs and chilli wafting from a brilliant green broth. Pork belly’s crackling splinters like toffee over couscous strewn with nuts and mustard fruits. Pumpkin risotto is a work of both heft and prowess. Somehow, dulce de leche ice-cream still beckons. Callegari doesn’t make you choose between polish and comfort. Order too much – they’ll happily box the rest.

Good to know: Kids, dogs, groups and food fanatics – all are welcome.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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