Olivocarne

Very disappointing… We wanted to love it since we were in mood for Italian food. Instead, our food was very salty: my pasta ribbons with wild boar ragu and my wife’s Sardinian pasta shells with sausage. One could have been a fluke but two at the same time suggests a pattern… My dish also tasted artificial (some odd aftertaste) and as a whole, I actually thought they scooped it out of a can… I also asked for a large portion and received small (good, with the benefit of hindsight). For a restaurant that wants to be upscale and refined, I’d say that’s unforgivable.

I came here for a friend’s birthday a couple of days ago and I have nothing but praise for this restaurant as the service was second to none and most importantly the food was gourmet all the way through. The staff were incredibly friendly and they allowed me to accommodate a birthday cake (note that they do charge £2/​person but it’s free if you order an iced cream at approximately £2.80) — extra points for providing the birthday candles although they cut the cake when I specifically asked them not to. Despite this, the manager apologized and admitted that he didn’t know why the cake was cut. Still, the surprise was executed to the plan for which I thank the management for.
We ordered a collection of dishes to share, each were cooked and prepared to perfection. These included:
Starters:
1. MIDOLLO ARROSTO (roast marrowbone served with mirto salt and crostini)
2. TARTARE CON BOTTARGA (chopped beef tartare with grated bottarga and a touch of chilli)
Mains:
1. BISTECCA DI MANZO CON L’OSSO AI FERRI (chargrilled T-​bone steak served with homemade chips)
2. PORCEDDU (slow roasted ‘Sardinian style’ suckling pig with roast potatoes)
3. GNOCCHI AL TARTUFO (mascarpone and ricotta gnocchi sautéed with courgettes and black truffle shavings)
It was actually my first time eating a Steak tartare and the experience has been mixed. Whilst I have to admit I didn’t enjoy it as I hoped I would I can’t fault it for what it is. I think next time, Ill be sticking with a cooked steak. On that note, although we were sharing the dishes, I was surprised that they didn’t ask us how we would like our steak. As it turns, it came out perfectly medium anyway, which is just how I prefer my steaks to be cooked.
The food was all delicious but I think I enjoyed the suckling pork most. If you’ve not tried bone marrow before, I’d also highly recommend it — so fattening oily it’s goooooood.
Most likely, I’ll be coming back when I can.

The best beef fillet I have ever got.
Forget about goodman, gaucho, etc. the fillet I ate last night left me speechless as it was so tender that it actually melted in my mouth
The place is also very nice and has a sophisticated contemporary atmosphere.
The staff is friendly and very competent. good wine list (many from sardinia) and desserts complement a varied menu.
Price in line with expectations and central London standards. Will go back!

Looking for lunch in Elizabeth St in the hottest day of the year so far, Oliveto was full — so we walked a few doors down to Olivocarne to which I had not been since its opening, tending to prefer ((as I thought) lighter food. It was cool and peaceful and relatively uncrowded — which now surprises me as it was absolutely superb in an understated way and proved the ideal place to relax before a difficult appointment. The maître ‘d and his staff were charmingly attentive and we settled easily into glasses of the excellent Sardinian house white and their perfect breads (in common with all the Olivo restaurants).
The menu too was a surprise as the prix fixe offering had an excellent vegetable selection, so my fear of being met by wall-​to-​wall boar were ill– founded and my companions delighted. We did have the prix fixe Sardinian ham and fig and it was absolutely delicious (see pic) but we also managed an unusual mushroom carpaccio dish that was said to be a favourite of Julius Caesar (see pic) and was again delicious and extremely light.
We all had the same pasta main course — trenette — which unusually included potato but was also full of pesto, beans and pine nuts and was likewise delicious. The food was made the more perfect by the quality of the olive oil that coated the inside of one’s mouth with a sumptuous glaze. A wonderful meal that was perfectly light and fresh on a day when 34c was being recorded outside.