La Parmigiana

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £11.50 (set lunch)
   £25 (evening meal)
• House wine: £14.95 per bottle

• Hitlisted
• High point: Delicious desserts
• Low point: Looping soundtrack
• Food served: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm. Closed Sun
• Open since: 1978
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Pre-theatre menu

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

From its award-lined dining room to the respectful yet solid service, everything about La Parmigiana exudes confidence. This is justified by food as polished as the restaurant's trophies. Owner Sandro Giovanazzi's success has been based on the selection of excellent ingredients, which are simply cooked and elegantly presented. More than half the starters come from the sea, and include Dublin Bay prawns with thin threads of tagliatelle and scallops from the Minch, char-grilled with lime and olive oil. Fleshy chunks of moist lobster are tucked into large ravioli parcels and served with a visually-arresting, lobster-coloured rich cream sauce infused with peppery basil. Meaty mains include braised guinea fowl with grappa sauce, and medallions of rosy-pink venison - charred, which adds a sweetness - placed on large, crispy croutons of polenta, which are ideal for mopping up an accompanying rich ragú of earthy porcini mushrooms and Italian sausage. The dessert menu is equally impressive. Pears are poached in vin santo, a sweet golden wine with aromas of honey and dried apricots, which results in a delicious froth. The large wine list, organised by region, is well judged but many options are perhaps prohibitively expensive. Conversely, the £12.50 pre-theatre menu is superb value for such a sophisticated dining experience.