Acciuga – Review

Guglielmo Arnulfo is a 24 years old Italian chef from Genoa with an intruiging backstory having trained as a lawyer and then playing international rugby before following his heart to spend the next few years learning how to become a chef in his native Liguria.

He has now opened Acciuga, a restaurant showcasing the food of his homeland in that gastronomically underserved  part of Kensington where the Warwick Rd bisects the High St. Fiona from London Unattached and I were invited to explore the food (there is a seasonal set lunch and a la carte menu) and it seemed like a great opportunity to investigate Ligurian cuisine.

The room is cool and elegant in a northern Italian kind of way and there is a rather chic wine store /private dining/communal eating space in the basement that can be called into use if necessary.

We started with a glass of N.V Brut Metodo Classico White Flower, Luigi Elio, Selezione Brjnda   (£45.00 for a bottle). It was a sparkling white from Piedmont made by the traditional methode champenoise that was light and refined with floral notes.

‘Grissini’ Breadsticks and rolls were freshly baked with good texture and flavour.

An Amuse-bouche of Smoked duck and Rocket pesto arrived. The duck had a smoky intensity and set us up for our starters.

Stuffed Courgette flowers (£10) were deep fried with a breadcrumb coating and a delicate courgette, breadcrumb and marscapone filling.

Cantina delle Cinque Terre (£8) is a light-bodied Ligurian wine made from the Albarolo, Bosco and Vernaccia grapes with notes of Apricot and Melon. It worked well with our pasta dishes.

The dish of Trofie al Pesto (£14)  was incredible. Trofie are a twisted and tapered pasta made with just flour and water and served with the traditional accompaniments of green beans and potato. They were coated with the most deliciously light and fragrant Pesto I have ever tasted.  Both of the main elements of the dish are of Ligurian provenance with the pesto being  brought in from Genoa as the quality of the basil cannot be matched elsewhere. It is the combination of the fertile soil and the sea air that gives it such character and Arnulfo won’t compromise on quality by using more local ingredients.

Ravioli di pesce bianco (£14) was a very pure dish. Silky pasta with a white fish filling.

At this point we were sent over a couple of glasses of wine to accompany our secondi from a lovely woman on an adjoining table who worked for the Cecchi wine producing family. Castello Montauto 2012 Vernaccia San Gimigniano is a creamy white from the picturesque Tuscan town of San Gimigniano and was an excellent flavour match with our dish of Polpo e Patate (£18) which was another revelation. The octopus had been cooked sous-vide and was incredibly tender and flavourful. The potato croquettes didn’t add a huge amount of value.

The second Cecchi wine was Valle delle Rose, Morellino di Scansano, a lively blend with 90% Sangiovese that was robust enough to stand up to the umami richness of the Seppie in Zimino (£18). This nourishing dish of Cuttlefish cooked with greens  (spinach and borage) had a deep savoury flavour and tasted like something the Genovese mariners might have had for their dinner when returning from a long trip (Columbus was Genovese) to up their vitamin intake.

We finished the meal with a Salted Chocolate tart (£8) and a Bellini sorbet (£8).  The tart was bitter and rich, just like I’d like to be, and for me the sorbet, glamorous as it sounds, needed a bit more peach in the mix.

Guglielmo Arnulfo is a serious and driven young chef who transitioned from a background in molecular gastronomy to working with his native food. If you are interested in regional Italian food or just want a really good meal you should try Acciuga.