Mele e Pere

Poorest first experience and will never go back

The set up of this restaurant was interesting with nice casual decoration and large shared tables and the menu looked interesting which made me decide to go in for lunch on a sunday afternoon. I ordered a braised leg shoulder for £17 which considering the minimalist service is not little money. Average wait. The food was made of a huge amount of vegetables and two micro portions of what it looked like minced lamb. If I order lamb shoulder that costs £17 I expect a nice portion of solid meat. I left in outrage without even touching the food. At the till I got even charged for service, for a total bill of £20 (I did not order any drinks). I found charging service intolerable. I will never set foot there again.

Updated review 11 December 2012.

I came here when it opened at the beginning of the year, and really enjoyed it. Then the reviews came out and the critics ranged from indifferent to foul; a week later there was one of those naff blackboards outside the venue advertising lunch deals, and I didn't imagine Mele e Pere would survive the year.

Well, 10 months later I finally got round to coming back and it's in rude health. The blackboard is gone, replaced by some elegant signage around the pillar by the door. The upstairs entrance now has bar seats and no longer feels like a lobby area. The decor still looks really good – I love the copper surfaces everywhere. Service was super-charming again from two smart young men – it's amazing to think how much service has improved in this country in the last decade. The place was busy and buzzing, including an A-list movie director two tables away.

I love the construction of the menu: you can make a patchwork quilt of a meal from nibbles, sharing plates, small pasta plates and big mains. We enjoyed the arancini with saffron risotto & gooey mozzarella, the culatello with gnocchi fritti, and the sweet and buttery pumpkin ravioli. Buffala mozzarella was a bit too firm but the garnish was great – fresh and cured anchovies, braised greens, fresh orange. Of the desserts, panettone bread & butter pudding was a highlight, and was a stimulus to a long conversation about the unwantedness of that particular baked item – my companion got a Christmas party invite last week saying ‘strictly no panettone!’

Above all Mele e Pere is a restaurant that is fun to eat in (the alcohol element of my bill is testament to that) which seems like a good reason for it to become a firm Soho favourite.

Previous review Feb 2012

Loved it. Quirky ground floor entrance leading to subterranean room. Reclaimed anglepoise lamps stud the sloping walls. Irregular furniture: some tables are copper-clad, others are ceramic – very nicely done. Menu mixes starters, pasta courses and mains; possibly a tiny bit limited but lots of lovely options. For nibbles we started with some breaded stuffed spicy olives which were fab. Food-wise I had vegetable raviolini with basil pesto, which was exquisite, followed by artichoke risotto, very well executed. Unusual cocktail list. Fair pricing on both food and wine. Charming service from the maitre d'.

With the glut of one track minded restaurants like Burger & Lobster, Bubbledogs and Tramshed, I'm relieved to discover that Mele e Pere doesn't just serve apple and/or pear based dishes. In fact other than a pear cocktail there doesn't seem to be any other reason for the name here. I'm fairly sure the English instinct to shout “Apples N Pears…Stairs!” is just a co-incidence and not a sign of some new-fangled Italian Cockney fusion cuisine. Although the menu does seem a little confused: the website describes the food as both classic and modern and there's a selection of share-y stuff as well as pasta and main courses. Sharing is a popular concept in London right now (thanks Nopi, Polpo etc etc) but what happened to the poor old fashioned Starter, Main and Dessert idea? Anyway, between 3 we shared deep fried squid, aubergine parmesan, tuscan soup and bigoli, which were all tasty if a bit of a random mix. I enjoyed a main of tagliatelle with a very flavoursome beef ragu and we loved the chocolate souffle. The atmosphere is also a bit schizo: there are daytime trattoria type light oak tables which look like they're from John Lewis but the lighting is nighthawk dim with Soho-red tinges in places. The one thing that is focussed is the wine list which covers a mind-boggling array of almost exclusively Italian wines (they slip in a few sweet ones from abroad but that's the only section where they wander off message). Whilst it's all a bit confusing that's not to say it's bad. Service is good, it's got a relaxed atmosphere, it's not trying to be too cool, and the price is right (under £50 a head for what amounted to 3 courses plus a bottle of Soave). We had a great night and I would come back again.

Mele e Pere has been my go-to place for client lunches, dinners with friends, or worknight post-work drinks, and it caters very well to all of these things. The upstairs bar is fun and friendly and the prosecco on tap is genius! I love the downstairs bar for a quick bite to eat. The food is fantastic – my favourites have been the steak alla fiorentina and pork belly, but the ice cream is amazing. Really amazing. The best you can get outside of Italy. The menu changes frequently, so it keeps you on your toes and even as a regular you can eat a wide variety of meals. I can't recommend it highly enough!

If you're wandering in the fleshpots of Old Soho, and wearied by tripping over the crowds outside every pub, look no further for food, drink and the feeling that you are the most special customer who ever walked over their threshold than Mele e Pere. The food is simple and perfectly prepared, the wine list is both funny and accurate, and the staff are capable of dealing with much merry banter with an unexpected hen party keen on cocktails whilst still ensuring their more sedate customers feel loved. Try especially their homemade vermouth.

Simplemente excepcional. Sin duda, la vez que mejor he cenado en mis vacaciones en Londres.

Absolutely brilliant and a little gem in the middle of Soho. Food was exquisitely cooked. Started with the Mozarella and Radicchio plus Courgettes shavings – fresh delicious flavours. Lamb with Polenta for main was melt in the mouth goodness. Definitely will be heading back for a return visit.

We were guided in by a gaudy wall of glass baubles, a pretty addition to an unlovely street but sadly for them not a clear enough indication of what lies within. Tripping down the steps brought us to a large subterranean cavern, whitewashed and well spaced with a lost and found furniture aesthetic created from a Habitat filled junk store.

Starters come from a short rustic selection, expertly matched by the Italian focused wine list. An explosively fruity half bottle of Puglian Primativo worked well as a bridge between the two courses. The well described and accessible list gives a little more info than what is at times a blunt and monosyllabic menu. Spoilt by Polpo and Bocca Di Lupo I found the lamb and mint polpettes as solid and bland as a chubby public school boy and soft tasty rose veal spoilt by pointlessly raw artichoke.

Thankfully things looked up, and rapidly, with the pasta course. There are no half portions here as you'd find in Zucca so it's an either / or between pasta and mains. Tagliatelle with ox cheek ragu was silky, sensual and substantial, if a little salty. Tiny cheek chunks and fragrant tomatoes came sparingly curled round yolky firm carbohydrate curls. The spring vegetable ravioli were also exceptionally well made parcels, albeit with more ricotta than anything else inside.

Tiramisu arrived like an over-exuberant busty hug from Nigella Lawson. Creamy, boozy and oh so slightly wrong. After a heavy hunk of pasta it's almost a step too far. Enough, almost too much, to share.

By the time we left, just after 9pm, a restaurant that deserved to be much busier was almost entirely empty. We walked out into Soho feeling it should be past our bedtime, like seeing a film during the day. It's a shame and I genuinely hope it improves. It wasn't perfect, but at £30 a head for two courses and wine I felt we'd eaten well. An uncomplicated, inexpensive Italian in tourist ground zero deserves a wider audience.

Went for the first time last night and we had a really enjoyable evening. Will certainly be going back for more. Food is absolutely excellent (not surprising considering the chef is ex Wild Honey/Arbutus) and both food and drink very reasonably priced. Service friendly and personal. You even get side dishes included! Definitely a competitor among London's top Italian restaurants

We are happy to have found such a gem in the heart of Soho. We will surely be back. Good wine, exceptional food and really good value for money. If you fancy some true northern italian cuisine, this is the place for you.