Open Mon–Thu midday–10.30pm; Fri midday–11pm; Sat 11am–11pm; Sun 11am–10.30pm
Locale restaurant has just introduced a new autumn menu, so my friend and I went to see if it was an improvement on the old. My dining partner was an ex Munster Road resident and a regular Fulham Locale diner (there are five London-based sites), so she was able to help compare the two. Fortunately we had chosen one of the last balmy days of the year to go so we were able to sit outside on the terrace. Fulham does afford excellent people watching; we saw a man going to the shop in his pyjamas, fellow diners waving to their friends in the building opposite and some rather good looking individuals running past.
The restaurant was pleasantly busy for a Tuesday night; girlfriends catching up, guys putting away a few bottles of red, couples on dates and families enjoying a meal. It really has a nice ‘locale’ feel to it.
Although an Italian restaurant, the owners have avoided the temptation to fill the walls with tacky trattoria paraphernalia and instead have gone for a much woodier decor which makes it very inviting and warm. We decided to sample a cocktail from the extensive menu as our waitress had told us that they had just spent a whole day learning how to make each one. Thankfully they didn’t disappoint; the Apple Mint Martini (£7.50) and Sour Italian (£7) were both excellent.
We moved onto food and started with an Antipasto Locale (£10.95) – a sharing platter piled with bruschetta, mozzarella, artichokes, freshly-baked focaccia and more. So often restaurants save a bit of money by swapping quantity for quality, but here the portion was just right and the ingredients were top notch. I was excited to see if this extended to the mains so I went for a house speciality, Bigoli all ‘anatra (£10.95), spaghetti-shaped semolina with a slow-cooked duck ragu. Unfortunately I made the wrong choice as it was disappointing; the ‘spaghetti’ was not an improvement on the norm and the ragu was nothing out of the ordinary despite being duck. The safe-choice pizza (around £9.95) looked much better. My friend had salmone al forno can fagiolini in tecia (£11.95), which was very good; moist fish and a nice French-bean-and-tomato sauce. Although, if you want any carbs, you would have to pay an extra £2.95.
A classic tiramisu and affogato (both £4.95) from the Homemade Deserts menu were a return to good dining. My tiramisu was neither too dry or too moist, but just perfectly in the middle. The affogato – cinnamon ice-cream with a shot of Frangelico liqueur and espresso which you pour on the ice cream – looked like it might disappoint on arrival but was actually delicious and a nice change from many bog standard ice-cream desserts. We finished off with digestivs; one Limoncello (£3.50) and a Frangelico (£4); both were delicious and a great way to end a very enjoyable meal. Plus, we got a top-up from our friendly waitress.
I would definitely recommend Locale as a fun place for a meal, especially if you want to avoid large chain Italians – just opt for a good old pizza.
Meal for two, with cocktails, around £90.
