It’s not often that a trip to dine touches the appetites of stomach and heart, but this next review is one to set your heart strings ringing as well as the reservations line for this restaurant. Four to Eight has recently opened just off the Strand, in London’s theatre district. From the appearance of this most swanky establishment, a towering cube of floor to ceiling iron and glass, accented with wood and leather and equipped with the latest mod cons in temperature controlled wine storage, you would never guess its humble origins.
Four to Eight is the fulfilment of the lifelong ambitions of two Sicilian brothers, Gino and Leo Zambito. For 16 years these brothers ran the sandwich shop “Gino and Franco” on the same Strand site, nursing their pipe dream of opening their own restaurant in Covent Garden. Their hard work and vision drew the attention of serial entrepreneur Yury Tereshchenko and finally, their plans came to fruition. The site was extended in a vast project and the sandwich shop transformed into the stunning, high end restaurant you see today.
The devotion that the brothers have poured into this place is clear; they speak of 21 hour shifts, 7 day weeks and daily battles with the new site’s construction – just that day the electrics had broken, fixed barely in time for service – but the polished front of house and smiles they speak with bely the sweat and blood behind the scenes.
At the helm of the kitchen is British chef Chris Denney, a talented chef fresh from the passes of Nuno Mendes and Phil Howard, assisted by French pastry chef Anabelle Delrieux.
The menu is simple Italian but reads in a flurry of well-conceived, refined and clearly painstakingly honed dishes. We tried it all. Beginning with a generous platter of formaggi and salumi, including the gooeyness Gorgonzola I’ve seen in months, and moving on to oozing arancini stuffed with Parmesan custard, melting burrata and soft shell crab and amalfi lemon aioli, we munched our way through the small plates. As a food critic whose sole purpose is to find fault I rarely get the opportunity for this next statement, but it brings me great joy to report that everything was perfect.
The primi piatti arrived in a buttery waft of truffle. If there is one way to sweeten me up, it is with this. First was a plate of truffle tagliolini; al dente pasta, stirred in black truffle butter and parmesan with a healthy grating of fresh truffle on top. There is little complexity in a plate like this, but there certainly is beauty.
The next, risotto aquarello, was one of my highlights of the evening; creamy risotto with a crumb of shitake mushroom atop, meaty king oyster mushrooms and vivid green oils of thyme and parsley, finished with salty parmesan shards and wait….yet more truffle. A special dish and one I’d return for.
The mains continued the good trend. A whole spatchcock baby chicken delighted in juicy, tender bites, punctuated with tangs of salty skin and crispy fried onions. The osso buco saltimbocca with lardo, sage and saffron butter whilst acceptable, didn’t hit the high notes I expected; I could slightly taste and feel the flour used to coat the meat and its sauce, giving it a slightly slushy texture.
The dessert menu is as refined as the savoury and perhaps less classic. It talks to sweet potato ice cream, truffled rice pudding and poached rhubarb with clotted cream and coffee glass. Exciting sounding dishes and ones to drag diners out of their post-mains food coma. I tried a rich, smooth chocolate and olive oil delice served alongside an exceptionally fine banana ice cream, clearly made with yoghurt giving it an appealing sourness against the dark chocolate.
The wine list is another reason to love this place. They have over 25 different wines by the glass meaning you can match the perfect wine to your meal without having to break a bottle. The rest of their list is extensive too, at over 100 bottles, all stored in an impressive floor to ceiling iron and glass temperature controlled wine room in the centre of the dining area.
A further reason is the service which is exactly as it should be: warm, knowledgeable and relaxed. They won’t rush you from your table and I’m told they don’t do ‘sittings’; once booked, you are welcome to stay for the night and enjoy the experience unrushed. Bliss.
I’m pleased for this place and I’m really pleased that I loved it. It would have been a sad thing to meet these passionate brothers, feel their enthusiasm for this place and not have it translated onto the plate (and therefore my review). Happily, it does; as I said earlier, much of the food is perfect, the ambience is great and it is truly a joyful place to sit and eat. I urge you to visit.
9/10
http://fourtoeight.com/
5 Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JZ
020 7240 0664
