I went to London a few times over the past couple of months and really enjoyed the dining scene there.  So, here is my first post about eating “not just vegetarian” in London.

We were staying in the Bayswater / Paddington area and wanted to explore the Connaught Village around dinner time on a week day.  There are plenty of restaurant options in Connaught village, but we felt like eating Italian that night and walked into Stuzzico.  Stuzzico is a cute Italian restaurant with a short menu.   Stuzzico was not crowded on that week night, but the food felt like it was worth visiting for – may be because they use simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients. 

We got a tomato bruschetta – was the only average dish of the evening.  This dish would have been better with salted tomatoes (they were bland), a few generous grinds of black pepper, and with a drizzle of some fruity olive oil.

Tomato bruschetta at Stuzzico in London

We got a green salad with mesclun, rocket (realized that it’s the same as arugula in the US!) and parmesan.  It was tossed in a lemony olive oil and tasted great with freshly ground black pepper.

Rocket (arugula) and Parmesan salad at Stuzzico in London

The endive, radicchio, blue cheese, and walnut salad was delicious.  Perfectly balanced in every bite.  And how can anyone go wrong with if it includes truffle oil? 

Endive, radicchio, blue cheese, and walnut salad with truffle oil at Stuzzico in London

We got the monk fish with peperonata.  I am always a fan a monk fish, but honestly, this one was great!  It was cooked perfectly and sat atop a bed of peporonata and basil oil.  The highlight of this dish was the basil oil.  Here are two recipes to make Basil oil at home – see this video by Stella Culinary and this post by Pitchfork Diaries

Monkfish with peperonata and basil oil at Stuzzico in London

I would go back to Stuzzico again for a casual, elegant, dinner with simple fresh ingredients in a cute neighborhood restaurant – I only wish that I could transport it back to NYC!!  While that may not be possible, the best thing that I can do, is to try making the peperonata and basil oil at home and imagine that I am eating at Stuzzico 🙂

If you happen to be near Hyde Park in London, do try Stuzzico and let me know what you think…..