Assaggetti Bom-Betty Stick-a-Letti Con-Cetti (Prepare To Be Hungry)

Assaggetti is a new Italian-come Spanish style tapas bistro located in the heart of the city on Haymarket, a perfect location for those wishing for a delightful pre-theatre meal, with Her Majesty’s Theatre and The Haymarket Theatre right outside, but also for the couples, groups of friends and business partners that could easily be catered for here.

The menu is split into sections as you would expect, starters, mains and desserts but part of the fun of Assaggetti is that all the plates are small dishes that are made for sharing, we ordered a selection from both and waited with anticipation for them to arrive whilst sampling a few cocktails from the drinks menu. I was slightly disappointed not to receive my expresso martini in a martini glass, but it made up for it in taste, other great cocktails included the Italian Lynchburg (my favourite) and the Inciser (Charlie's fav)see the first image for the incredible ingredients.

Favourites from the menu included the marvelous mussels, cooked to absolute perfection, in a complimentary soft white wine, garlic and parsley sauce, a really tasty squid and mango salad, and wickedly flavoursome cured meats served on rustic wooden boards. The mozzarella balls were really delish and the courgette fritti served as a great alternative to fries.

The black risotto with cuttlefish was really different, very delicious subtle flavours and textures, a great one for the seafood lovers, we ordered the vitello tonnato out of curiosity; a strange traditional north Italian dish comprising of cold thinly sliced cooked veal topped with a kind of tuna mayonnaise and capers, I must say this was an aquired taste! The straccetti from Siena- a subtle smokey Tuscan sausage with layered open ravioli and deliciously rich tomato sauce, was a definite favourite, as well as the potato gnocchetti and Gorgonzola which was super strong so the smaller plate was just enough between two, lastly the handmade ravioli with scampi was as you would expect ravioli to be but never the less a great dish with fresh pasta with a good consistency of sauce.


The main dishes are also available as large dishes if you wanted to have one main dish, personally though I though the small plates were fantastic!

For dessert we opted for the tiramisu, presented in a little glass pot; it was very sweet, and had more cream than sponge, a nice light desert for those who can only squeeze a morsel more, the cheesecake with berries a perfect bite size portion accompanied by berries and suggested with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (which I must say was exquisite) and lastly the most delightful miniature pana cotta with a gorgeous creamy texture topped with fruit compute- just right.

To finish we sipped deliciously sweet and fruity desert wine and hazelnut liqueur in adorable tiny glasses, a wonderfully classy end to a delicious meal.

A perfect mix of a top class restaurant with excellent service but with the relaxed atmosphere and laid back attitude of a tapas bar, small plates great for sharing, soft but buzzing atmosphere with great funky music at the most precise sound level, precision cocktails mixed with real love and attention. Friendly staff, a great all rounder for any occasion.

Thanks to Alix from ME:MO Interactive for organising this delectable jaunt.

Assaggetti is open 10am-11.30pm Mon-Sat and 12pm-10pm on Sundays

71 Haymarket | London SW1Y 4RW | tel: 020 7839 3939 | email: info@assaggetti.co.uk