Le Querce

Dreadful! Was looking forward to my last meal in London so went locally and highly recommended. I chose calves liver, was offered to have it cooked ‘pink’, arrived like shoe leather, sent it back, 2^nd attempt was raw in the middle. Ended up buying pork pies and Stilton from Sainsbury — gorgeous.
Hubby had an acceptable pizza though it was served on a trendy square slate which was too small so the pizza was falling off the sides. Never again!

I was craving Italian and wanting to try something new, so I looked up reviews in Unilocal and their website and thought that this would be worth a look. In fact, it appeared that it was high end, fine Italian dining with gorgeous food and a lovely setting.
My sister and I drove over to Brockley from Penge, and since it was a Sunday evening, I was able to park almost outside the restaurant. We had phoned ahead to see if we needed to book a table, and they assured me I didn’t.
We walked up to the door, where annoyingly two people were standing having a cigarette. we walked through the noxious cloud, into the restaurant, hastily followed by said two people, who were actually staff. In fact I believe that one of them was the manager.
The restaurant is divided into two, and one half was being used as a children’s party venue. Since I had phoned up to ask about tables, I thought that they might have mentioned the party, as it was horrendously loud. I love kids, but not 30 over-​excited, hopped-​up on sugar, screaming children while I’m trying to have high end fine Italian cuisine!
We were shown to a little table that felt like it was in a corridor, and although we asked about the vast number of empty tables in the back restaurant area, we were not allowed to sit there. It honestly felt very tatty, a little dirty and not at all like the website had promised. The food in there is pretty expensive, but at this point I had no confidence that it was going to be any good.
As we sat down, my sister put her hand on the radiator that was by the table, as it was pretty chilly and I was (as usual) cold. The manager immediately asked if we wanted to have the radiator turned on. Yes please, we answered. Well you can’t, came the rather astounding reply!
The manager lent over us, gave us about 5 pieces of paper each (which together made some sort of menu) but stank so much of the cigarette that he had just put out, that it made us feel sick. That coupled with the bad table, 30 screaming children and arctic temperatures was enough for us. We left and went to Babour!

My update is actually for 3.5 stars… but don’t think this place is up to 4 yet, so you’ll have to settle for Unilocal’s 3. Anyway, a couple of visits since my last review and was thoroughly impressed, on my penultimate visit, by offer of kitchen to cook cuttlefish (wash;t on the menu) as they’d run out of octopus. On that visit, too, they had their full range of unique ice cream flavours on offer (inc chill!!)… but on a visit recently noticed that some of the mains are looking a little meagre… and therefore, once you add the obligatory couple of side orders, a little pricey. ⁴⁄₅ for taste and ingredients, though… still a shame that we’re not seeing really exciting Sardinian stuff on the menu.

AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. I’ve been a regular customer for a couple of years and I always enjoyed their food, which helped me feel less homesick However, the treatment my family and I received yesterday was absolutely appalling. My dad and I got tuna steaks for our main course, and they were covered in so many spices that you could barely taste the flavour. Within 30 to 40 mins of eating it, the two of us got bloodshot eyes and our upper bodies, elbows and knees had developed a massive rash We were completely covered in red spots as if we had got measles. The two of us being the only people at our table to have eaten the tuna, this was a clear case of food poisoining, even though the staff quickly dismissed it as an allergy, and advised us to take an antihistaminic to sort ourselves out. The thing we can’t get over is that the staff must have been aware of the tuna being contamined and its poor quality, as we overheard a waiter say to the cook if those tuna steaks aren’t gone yet, make them disappear. Also, why smother the food in so many spices to the point that you can’t tell the flavour, unless this is rotten? I think this was really really devious of them, and once we got home we got hit by what the lonely planet guides call traveller’s diahorrea. In Italy, stuff like this results in the establishment being heavily fined /​shut down if the customers reports it to the relevant authorities. Now I wonder, is this why their Blackheath restaurant has been recently shut down?

Genuine Italian, family restaurant. Child friendly. Extensive specials menu. Sublimely cooked scallops on samphire. Home-​made pasta cooked to perfection.
Wonderful evening.

I moved to this area about four years ago and it took until last night to book a table here as I foolishly judged the place on how it looks. Unfortunately for me I have missed out on four years of dining at a restaurant that is truly authentic. The portions are large, menu is fantastic, service is friendly but not overbearing, good Italian wine list and gorgeous home made ice-​cream and sorbet’s. I look forward to my next evening there. My only quibble would be that the lighting is a bit bright

«Many Italians in the place… so it must be the real deal.»
Cold Sunday evening and the place was 75% full in January… that says a lot. My two glamorous female companions (mother & daughter) eat here often and as I now live in the US the appeal of a real Sardinian eatery was high, and the place came up trumps. My sardines were first rate and pizza crisp and very freshly cooked. As other reviewers have mentioned the amazing selection of homemade ice cream and sorbets are most unusual and very tasty. The house wine is reasonable, the owner cheeky and charming… and my two female companions radiant… so I was a happy bunny… especially as I had my hired Fiat 500 Arbarth sitting outside to zoom home inn.
A good night out…

I have been outside this restaurant on many occasions and did not even notice it, I presumed it was a café of some sort. I have a friend visiting who recalled the good food and we decided to try it out on a Sunday evening. Unfortunately, so did a couple with a child of approximately 3 or 4, the little fellow must have been way over his bedtime as he cried and screamed the entire time we were there and the parents did nothing more than ignore him. The menu had several fish specials that were fresh and uniquely prepared. I chose the prawn pasta which as absolutely lovely and my friend chose a Sardinian dish which she enjoyed. My one gripe is that the prawns are not shelled, in fact the feelers had not even been removed and being the same colour as the tomato based sauce, I kept getting these in my mouth and having to remove them, not very dignified I promise. My 2^nd gripe was a lack of a finger bowl or anything to wipe the hands on, apart from the one serviette with the table setting. So you are having to shell the prawns to eat them and I presume lick you fingers clean ! I did ask and by the time I had finished my meal (about 20 minutes later) was given a small ramekin with water in. Not ideal. So whilst the food was most enjoyable for the most, the experience left a lot to be desired and I doubt I shall be returning soon.

This is indeed a great spot to enjoy superb Italian tucker, and is renown amongst locals as being one of the best restaurants in Brockley. Their starters, pasta dishes, pizza, drinks list and service are all dependable, but the star of the show is undoubtedly their amazing ice cream, which comes in some unusual but no less incredible flavours. Definitely worth a visit for residents of Brockley.

I love this place and regularly make quite a long bus journey to indulge in its excellence once again. The staff are warm and welcoming and the food is both generous and gorgeous. The perfect pan-​fried liver, ginormous veal chop, and succulent best-​ever tasting chicken are especially amazing. And then there are the taste bud-​blowing home-​made ice creams and sorbets. Chili, rose petal, mint (which they grow round the back), olive oil, garlic, aubergine, beetroot — each and every one is an true taste experience, but the amaretto and pumpkin ice cream reigns supreme! A wonderful, unusual, friendly establishment and fantastically good value too. What more could you want? If I could award it ten stars I would. And more.

Went there after reading another review that they were able to cater for gluten free diet. There were 10 of us (4 adults 6 children), food was good but not great, choices were limited and to top it all when the bill came it wasn’t itemised at all, when I questioned this I was made to feel that I had crossed the boundary! So as not to spoil it for the rest of my party, I paid up in excess of £300!

A real hidden gem! Truly authentic, delicious, homestyle Italian cuisine cooked by real Italians. They also have a wide selection of unusual gelati and sorbetti — our group tried about 10 different kinds altogether and unanimously agreed they were all out of this world. Highly recommended!

This place is far better than it might appear from the outside, and is typical of Brockley and Honor Oak’s slightly hidden gems! The staff are really welcoming, and the food is well above your standard Italian. Really autentic and not too pricey at all. Quite kid friendly too (this may be a plus or a minus!).

A real rarity in London — a family-​run Italian restaurant in a suburb that is really playing above its game. No lame pasta and margherita pizzas here; this is the real deal, with handmade gnocchi, fresh fish simply cooked (the specials the day I visited were JOhn Dory and monkfish) and a lively atmosphere thanks to the effussive and charming patron. The owner is clearly a wine lover from his enthusaistic reccomendations from the wine list, and has chosen wines nearly exclusively from Italian regions to complement the food.
Always full of locals, this place is a real gem. Don’t be put off by the slightly unchic look to it; part iof its charm is that it is all about the food, not the looks — it’s not a place to pose and be seen, but to eat the real deal Italian. Go there after watching an episode of the Sopranos and indulge!