Olivocarne - London

Friendly servers greet you and lead you into a very modern decorated two rooms. We started with a Malbec blend. My husband and I shared a salad of wafer thin zucchini tossed in an olive oil dressing. I relished my lamb rack in a sauce that made me want to like my fingers. My husband chose a pasta with crab sauce that he declared delicious. No room for dessert.

We have visited twice recently for lunch (today) and supper (about a month ago). In both cases the service was excellent and attentive without being fussy. The maitre d' was very good. The menu is of course meat orientated but there are fish and pasta choices. My melon and Sardinian ham starter was perfection as was the prawn risotto. Steak and lamb choices of my guests were perfectly cooked. I am a big fan of their roast potatoes. Good choice of wine house wines very acceptable. Elizabeth Street is charming with flower displays and outdoor seating. Olivocarne has outdoor tables and is a great spot for lunch on a warm day. Highly recommend this restaurant.

We dined here after attending the theatre and were expecting great things. Unfortunately we were quite disappointed. The inside dining area is very dimly lit and, despite booking a table several weeks ago we were seated right next to a busy staff area where they cut up bread do the till. 2 out of 3 starters were good, the third being the Midollo (bone marrow) had only the tiniest bit of marrow to spread on 2 pieces of sourdough bread, despite there being 2 large pieces of bone on the plate. Then came the mains the papardelli with chicken liver was nice, but bits of liver scarce; the seafood risotto was tasteless the rice undercooked (I like a bit of 'bite ' in the rice, but this was way under) and the suckling pig was a bit dry and also very small. The staff were quite indifferent and overall the experience very underwhelming for the price.

Popped into Olivocarne today for lunch and what a disappointment. Initially all was well ,Lovely breads and our starters Steak Tartar and Crab Linguine were excellent however the same couldn't be said for the main Course. We both ordered the ribeye steak with homemade chips (which definitely weren't) The steaks were covered in sea salt and were inedible so we sent them back .The second ones came out and we'd both ordered medium and they were rare to blue !!! My partner ate his as by then we were hungry but I just couldn't eat mine so it was returned .I wasn't asked if I'd like anything else so I just went hungry .. The desserts were OK, Chocolate fondant and ice cream didn't really hit the spot ! There was a good selection of wines but massively overpriced. The bill came to £240 without my steak and for the service and quality of the food I would not return and I definitely wouldn't recommend.

We have been coming to OlivoCarne for years. Always outstanding food, delightful and attentive service and warm welcoming ambience. When we arrived they remembered our 12 year old daughter and greeted her by name!! As I read some of these reviews here, I wonder if they are talking about the same restaurant!! Mauro, the gracious and charming Sardinian proprietor is extremely proud of what he delivers to his customers at all his restaurants Highly recommend