Wednesday 18 June 2014

21 Restaurant and Bar Covent Garden

Growing up in London I was spoilt with wonderful places to visit. Covent Garden especially has always held a special place in my heart, having spent many an hour shopping, wandering around the lovely market stalls and then having a bite to eat. 

Covent Garden

London Transport Museum

If you haven't visited before then you are really missing a treat it has some wonderful foodie treasures. I have written about some of them which you can read here.   

On the weekend Covent Garden is a hive of activity, with people milling around and making the most of their weekends. There is also the wonderful Royal Opera House and London Transport Museum to visit where children get in free. 

But one of my most favourite things to do has to be visiting The Moomin shop.

Moomins

For those of you too young to know what I am talking about check it out on YouTube. Growing up I loved watching reruns of this programme. 

Covent Garden

So when I was contacted by 21 Restaurant and Bar in Covent Garden, to come and try out their Italian restaurant, it was a resounding yes. Well any excuse to visit Covent Garden, The Moomin shop, and we all know how much I love Italian food.  
21 Restaurant Covent Garden

I have often seen people sipping and eating food on the cobbled piazza terrace that is owned by 21. But it had totally passed me by that 21 also had a restaurant and bar set over three floors. 
Alfresco London eating

Restaurants Covent Garden

The restaurant is set in the beautiful historic cellar vaults.  

Restaurants Covent Garden

21 also has a roof terrace bar The Print Room with wonderful balconies overlooking the piazza.   

Cocktails in Covent Garden


Cocktails Covent Garden

Now where better to view the street performers and watch the world pass by on a hot summers day than here. This is the perfect spot for people watching. 

Cocktails Covent Garden

Once comfortably seated inside we started our meal with two cocktails. 
Taytini (on the left) made with Absolut vodka and served straight with an elegant mix of Aperol (Italian aperitif), Merlet peach liqueur and fresh raspberries. 

San Sebastian (on the right) flavours of Havana three year rum, Carton banana liqueur, passion fruit and cinnamon syrup. This one is potent.

Both were delicious but the Taytini I could have easily supped all night. I have these on my cocktail list now. 

Looking over the menu there was lots of choice and after lots of umming and ahring we opted for:

Italian food Covent garden
Salumi board a selection of cured meats and pickles (£13.25) - prosciutto di Norcia, finocchiona, capocollo toscano and aged balsamic. This is a perfect dish for me as I love prosciutto and with a basket of focaccia bread I was in heaven.   

We shared a crostini three piece selection (£4.45) - vine plum tomato and basil, goat's cheese, Parma ham with caramelised fig, beetroot cured salmon, horseradish cream and pink peppercorn.

The toppings were really delicious, my favourite the goat's cheese, Parma ham with caramelised fig.

For our mains I opt for salmon cooked in a paper bag (£15.25), with baby leeks, garlic, rosemary and broccoli.

Italian Restaurants Covent Garden

Now the pictures cannot do this beautiful dish justice. The Salmon was packed with flavour, lemon, rosemary, garlic and tomato. The Salmon melted in the mouth and the addition of leeks was a great idea. 

Places to eat Covent Garden.

My other half opted for Cornish crab Linguine (14.25), garlic, lime, chilli and coriander. 

Restaurants Covent Garden

In an Italian restaurant, pasta is one of those meals that in my view is a signature dish, and if done poorly, can make or break your relationship with the restaurant. 

The Cornish crab Linguine was rich in flavour and texture. I am pleased to report that Crab Linguine here is a signature dish, the huge portion was devoured in minutes. 

We were absolutely full at this point, but the menu for desserts was really tempting. A foodie never knows when to say no. So we choose a dessert to share.    

A chocolate chip cookie sandwich with Vanilla pod Galato and Irish coffee. The cookie was perfect for sharing or should I say fighting over.  

When we headed for the exit the restaurant was full, always a good sign of a much loved restaurant. 

21 is a hidden gem, offering great service, authentic Italian food that is reasonably priced and now that we have found this hidden gem, we will most certainly be back. 

If your visiting the theatre in Covent Garden 21 also offer a wonderful pre theatre menu from 5.30 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday evenings. 

London Theatre

Thank you very much to 21 restaurant for a wonderful meal. Our meal was complimentary for the purposes of a review, but this is an honest and fair reflection of the restaurant and our meal. 

21 The Market
Covent Garden
London 
WC2E 8RD

Tel: (0)20 7836 2137

Square Meal 21 Covent Garden on Urbanspoon

 photo foodieforce_32.jpg

26 comments:

  1. OMG it's beautiful! Aside from the Moomin shop which I have been in, I've never really spent much time in Covent Garden and I don't think I've ever eaten there. It's somewhere I used to avoid because it's always so busy!

    The food at 21 looks delicious and get me up that balcony .. nothing beats a bit of people watching from a height in the sunshine!

    Chloe x
    newgirlintoon.co.uk

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    1. The food was yummy and the service excellent. Definitely returning for cocktails, people watching and delicious food. Hope your having a good weekend Lucy x

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  2. I've heard lots of good things about this place from other bloggers. I will have to check it out :)
    Lots of love,
    Angie

    SilverSpoon London

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    1. Good Italian restaurants in london are in short supply and this is most definitely on my list really brilliant good I can see why it is so popular Lucy x

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  3. I love Italian food, that pasta looks amazing! The cocktails sound lovely too :) xx

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    1. Same I love italian food it is so delicious and could happily eat only italian food. The cocktails are delicious Lucy x

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  4. Lovely photos! And all the food looks delicious!!!

    xx, Be || lovefrombe

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  5. Lovely photos! I went to Covent Gardens a few years ago but I don't remember much about it.

    Corinne x
    www.skinnedcartree.com

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    1. Was that because you had one to many or it didn't make a lasting impression. It is a great place to shop and eat Lucy x

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  6. The food all looks amazing. I need to go to the Moomin shop - had no idea there even was one! x

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    1. The shop i never tire of visiting so definitely need to visit. The food at 21 is beautiful Lucy x

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  7. I love Covent Garden! 21 sounds lovely, the food looks so delish! x

    Josie’s Journal

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    1. The food was yummy, I really enjoy Covent Garden it reminds me of being a kid. I hope you are feeling better Lucy x

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  8. mmmm yummy
    i love the mooman shop x

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    1. The moomin shop is superb as was the yummy supper. Lucy

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  9. Ooosh, that cookie looks amazing! I rarely get to London, but when I do, Covent Garden is always on my list of places to visit, maybe next time 21 will be too! x

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    1. Italian restaurants generally disappoint because they are not authentic 21 has got the balance just right and the food was delicious Lucy x

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  10. Oh My Gosh! I love this post! Covent Garden looks so lovely. If I ever get back to London, definitely going to visit! I'm telling my age, but I actually grew up watching the ORIGINAL Moomin in Japan. One of my best memories was actually going to Moomin Land (sort of an amusement park). I love that you love Moomin too!

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    1. You so shouldn't have told me that there is a Moomin land I would absolutely love it. It was a wonderful show and reminds me of a time when life was a lot simpler. If you visit you definitely have to make a stop at Covent Garden Lucy x

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  11. Yay! We have actually been to this place! :-) Admittedly we only had cocktails outside, didn't know they had the rooftop? Your food looked delicious...all of it! How did you fit in the dessert? ;-) Great review - hope you get contacted by many more restaurants - you're definitely the girl we'd come to for a fair/honest review, you're foodie force!

    x Roch & Tash x
    www.next-route-style.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Good taste girls;-) The cocktails were lovely and sitting out on the cobbles or balcony in the sunshine is definitely on the list. I am silently laughing at the comment "how did you fit in dessert" I don't have a blog called foodieforce for nothing, man verses food has nothing on me. I am a gargantuan pig.

      Hope you are both well and the launch of the new site is going well Lucy x

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  12. The food looks absolutely amazing! your so good at reviewing restaurants!

    www.myladyboudoir.blogspot.com

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    1. It was yummy Sammy, but I am in danger of never fitting in the lovely shorts you keep tempting me to buy ;-). Hope you had a wonderful Honeymoon Lucy x

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  13. I'm hungry now so I will be making myself a fried egg sandwich wishing I were eating what you showed us. One can always pretend right? I'll also have an apple for dessert pretending it was one of those chocolate chip cookie sandwiches you had.

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  14. The chocolate chip cookie was yummy, sorry for making you hungry you cant beat a fried egg sandwich Lucy

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