It would be difficult for any restaurant, even Daquise, to live up to the first two items on our evening agenda. First, a rather charmingly incompetent speech by the designer Paul Smith on the influence of film on his clothes. Although he did hand out some very Meadesian advice on finding inspiration even in the most mundane of locations. And he also handed out a shit load of clobber via an impromptu raffle (but to our chagrin we were not among the lucky ones).

We did however have front row seats to Jean-Luc Godard’s A Bout de Shuffle at the Ciné Lumière. And watching after a gap of some ten years (with the intervening #MeToo movement) was something of a revelation in analysing the sexual politics of the film. And led me to conclude that, unlike my teenage self, I am now definitely of the opinion that Poiccard deserved to get done. Indeed should have got done more rapidly. Although Belmondo’s stagger and trip to the cobbles is about the best death scene I’ve ever seen. And that includes anything that Neymar has produced.

So how would Rocca (pictured is Ryder Cup legend Constantino in the absence of a photo of the Resto) cope with being the postlude to a charming Notts genius and one of the defining works of art of the twentieth century? Ehhh.

The room looked pretty full but it wasn’t till I went to the loos (where one of the chefs was taking his pasta break outside the door to the gents) that I realised they could have found us a table not immediately next to the door. It was quite cold.

We had olives up front (except everything arrived at once) with pizzas , a salad and a bottle of something white (Frascati?) and forgettable. The olives were about the worst olives I’ve ever seen outside of The North though tasted alright. The pizza was the star of the show being charred on the mildly sourdough light base with plenty of topping. The salad, frankly, should have been put in the bin. Or rather the recycling. But being hungry (and reckless) we ate it.

It wasn’t expensive for this area and it was strongly populated by students so they’re obviously catering for a particular market. But not a market that is overly particular.

4/10

To see where else I’ve been click on the google map below.

Food London Food Italian London Pizza South Kensington