L'Anima

L’Anima is well regarded as one of the city’s premier Italian restaurants, having won numerous awards. It is one of those that most critics widely believe to be deserving of a Michelin star yet has so far been overlooked.

It is situated a short walk from Liverpool Street station and as a result, on a weekday lunch the restaurant was mainly full of the expected suits from the neighbouring banks and law firms. I had to visit at lunch because at 3 courses for £25 this was rather exceptional value for money, especially considering a la carte main courses rarely dip under £20 each.

Outside

Inside is a rather pretty, modern and airy space, bursting with light courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows making up the restaurant’s façade. The clean atmosphere is accentuated by the contrasting colour scheme of bright white furniture and laminate flooring against the dark walls. Service is slick with the merest of personality.

Dining room

Bar

First impressions indicated that the set menu was noticeably simpler and less inventive than the a la carte. This was a slight disappointment, but understandable given the difference in price. Cornish mackerel with quinoa salad resulted in a large fillet of fish that was perfectly cooked and yielding, punctuated by the excellent sweet cherry tomatoes. 

Cornish mackerel with
quinoa salad

The large portion size continued (not that I’m complaining) in the other starter of Calabrian wheat frisella (wholemeal dried bread) with tomato and mozzarella. As expected, these were clean and elementary flavours elevated by the exquisite quality of the ingredients.

Calabrian wheat frisella
with tomato & mozzarella

Lemon & chilli poussin with olive oil mash for main course was also substantial in size. Moist and tender meat with a light, crispy skin was appreciated. The lemon sauce was tangy but fortunately not overpowering, which it so easily could have been for delicate meat such as poussin. A far cry from that heinous, fluorescent, gelatinous garbage they serve at many local Chinese takeaways. There was a lone chilli fighting valiantly like an Asian hornet in a beehive, its addition adding further depth to the dish. The mash was smooth and accomplished but hardly inspirational. 

Lemon & chilli poussin
with olive oil mash

Pasta was Paccheri Amatriciana (spicy tomatoes with pancetta). Freshly cooked pasta can be a wonderful thing and once again this was expertly cooked with well-sourced ingredients shining through. 

Paccheri Amatriciana

I will often rate an Italian restaurant based on their zucchini fritti. I just love the stuff and it’s a far better accompaniment than boring old chips. L’Anima’s version is long, thin, delicately crisp and most importantly, not over seasoned. Oh and once again, there's lots of it. Bang on the money for me.

Zucchini fritti

On first reading I was disappointed to see that two out of the three desserts contained coffee (I’m a big coffee fan but I was really fancying some sort of fruit-based dessert at the time). Yet when they are this good it’s hard to bear a grudge. The tiramisu was one of the best I can remember having; drenched in coffee yet the flavour of marsala really shone through. So often tiramisus are rendered into one big creamy plop on the plate. Here the biscuit added a much-needed crunch to contrast the textures. 

Tiramisu

Panna cotta with a coffee supome provided a delightful little wobble when placed on the table. I found its simplicity in presentation rather special yet comforting, I knew this would be a panna cotta of high quality. It was surrounded by slightly bitter foam that lifted the extremely creamy yet somehow refreshing panna cotta.

Panna cotta with
coffee supome

L’Anima is unmistakably a high-end Italian restaurant aimed at the bankers and lawyers working in the nearby Liverpool Street area. The food here represents uncomplicated and thoughtful cooking of a high calibre that provided much satisfaction yet fell rather short of exciting. I am certain that the set lunch doesn’t show of the full potential of the kitchen. But it provides such good value (especially considering the very large portions) that it is certainly worth the investment.

Price: 3 course set lunch £25

Where to go before/next: If you go in the evening, head over afterwards to Worship Street Whistling Shop (63 Worship Street) a short walk away for some exceptional and unusual cocktails. In the daytime you could even pop over to City Limits Golf driving range that's around the corner to brush up on your golf skills that’s round the corner. If golf isn’t your thing, maybe check out Boxpark, a pop up mall made out of shipping containers. It's located just outside Shoreditch High Street overground station

Website: Click here

Location: 1 Snowden Street, Broadgate West, London, EC2A 2DQ

Nearest Tube: Liverpool St or Shoreditch High Street Overground

Opening Times: Lunch 11.45 – 15.00 (Mon – Fri). Dinner 17.30 – 23.00 (Mon – Fri) 17.30 – 23.30 (Sat)