9 months ago
Is it Rome? Is it Milan? Is it Florence? Fresh pasta for lunch is a serious midday glow up, and it’s happening on Clapham High Street.
Osteria Mbare has (rightly) made a name for itself in the Clapham foodie scene. We recently raved about their new menu refresh and their weekend brunches get booked up in advance for a reason. But there’s more to this Italian spot than you might expect. Let us tell you more…
First off, they’re open from 11 am and, like any Italian eatery worth their salt, they make a very, very good coffee. The space in there is truly beautiful- it’s light and airy making it the perfect place to WFH during the week (N.B they are closed on Mondays). Rock up with your laptop and then hunker down for a while. Make sure you hang about for lunch because there’s a new midday offering which is a serious upgrade to your normal sandwich…
Osteria Mbare are making fresh pasta in house- you can see their chef prepping it if you walk past their shop window- and it is something really special. There are 5 pasta shapes to choose from (tagliatelle, pici, maccheroni, linguine or gnocchi) and 5 different sauces (ragù, carbonara, mushroom and truffle, pesto or tomato). You mix-and-match depending on what you feel like and can either eat in or take away for just £8! An absolute steal of a price considering a Pret macaroni, cheese and Proscuttio is, erm, 1p cheaper… And this pasta is well worth that extra penny of investment. We tried their glorious carbonara which was as creamy and heavenly as you could hope for. One of our favourites is the ragù and, if you ask us, it tasted even better as a lunch time treat.
And even though we’d strongly recommend making it out to try their charming dinner service, we get it: sometimes there is nothing better than a cosy night in… especially when the UK does the dirty and gets dark at 3.30pm and rains non-stop. Osteria Mbare have got you here too. You can pick up their freshly made pasta and sauce of your choice for just £15. The portions feed 2 people and all you’ll need to do is cook the pasta and add the sauce when you get back for a restaurant quality meal you can eat on the sofa.
This is a great move from Osteria, and we are really excited about its arrival to the high street. Knowing the pasta has been made in house adds an Italian wholesomeness and authenticity to the experience, but it’s the taste that really speaks for itself. Try it, love it, don’t look back.
