Osteria Mbare’s new lunch offer means you can get 120g of pasta for just £7

You know what can be boring? Lunchtime. Especially when it’s the same carrot and coriander soup from Tesco you’ve been having for the past 3 weeks straight. But boring weekday lunches are so last year. Leave the carrot and coriander in 2023 and upgrade with a big plate of fresh, house made pasta from Osteria Mbare. It’s no secret that we are big fans of this Italian spot on Clapham High Street. We’ve written about them loads, and every time we visit they just get better and better. And though they are known for their romantic, atmospheric evening dinners and their raucous brunches during the weekend, there’s a lot more they offer.

They’ve just introduced their fresh pasta lunch offer where, for only £7(!) you can get a plate of any of their regular pastas that feature on the menu (that’s the cacio e pepe, the seafood linguine, the Genovese ragu, the truffle fungi tagliatelle or the Sicilian pesto) or choose between the four brand new specials. The latter four dishes are the ones we tried when we went for a very lovely lunch break and what a quartet they are.

There was a basil and mint pesto with garlic bread crumbs that was aromatic, fresh and incredibly moorish. The nduja and mozzarella linguine feels like the ‘it girl’ of pasta right now and though, yes, it’s incredibly on trend, this is a plate that walks the walk with its creamy texture and mild spice. As we’ve come to expect with Osteria Mbare, the carbonara was done to authentic precision. Not a drop of cream in sight and well worth a try for when the carbonara cravings kick in. Our favourite- though it was a very tough call- might just have been the final of the four, the Amatriciana. A richly savoury tomato sauce and generously thick slices of guanciale made this a plate licking salty treat.

Salty enough that you might just find yourself a little parched. Luckily for us, the team at Osteria Mbare have that covered too because, for an optional £3 extra, you can get yourself a soft or alcoholic (beer/glass of wine) drink to go with your lunch. And, we don’t know about you, but sipping on a glass of red whilst twirling linguini about our forks on a Tuesday lunchtime is exactly the kind of European elegance we are striving for.

Though a whole lunch will only set you back a tenner, don’t think that you’ll be getting a skimpy portion. It’s a whopping 120g of pasta which has got to be some of the best bang for your buck you can get in Clapham at the moment. And if you can’t get away from your desk for a full lunch break then that’s ok too- you can get it to go and you’re welcome to live your European dream of elegance in front of your next Zoom call. Huge portions, delicious flavours and affordability all wrapped into one lunch. Does Osteria Mbare has the Holy Trinity of the ideal food experience? We think it just might.