Inside Osteria Vibrato
What can you tell us about Osteria Vibrato?
The restaurant’s main claim to fame is that it’s from Charlie Mellor, the man who was behind The Laughing Heart in Hackney. Before closing almost three years ago, that restaurant was an underrated gem, and particularly beloved by hospitality industry folk. This sees Mellor coming to the centre of town for a buzzy Italian offering, partnering with sommelier Cameron Dewar (who was previously at Luca). That partnership is particularly important because, just like it was at The Laughing Heart, the wine list is a big deal at Osteria Vibrato.
Where is it?
You’ll find the restaurant on Greek Street in Soho, just a few doors down from Noble Rot. It took over from Cinquecento pizzeria, and while you can still see the bones of that building in Vibrato, there’s a stripped-back simplicity to the restaurant that immediately has that somewhat undefinable feeling of being right at home in Soho. In that, it has something in common with Noble Rot, just up the street, which also felt like an instant fit for the location.
Just next to the VERY busy Manette Street thoroughfare is where you’ll find the restaurant.
Once inside, you’ll see that the restaurant is largely candlelit, there’s a great atmosphere. You’ll also note that there’s a piano in the middle of the room and our excellent waiter showed himself to also be an amazing pianist. Apparently, the restaurant has also seen the odd guest appearance from a Ronnie Scott’s pianist or two.
On our visit, when it filled up, it did get pretty loud, perhaps taking the “vibrato” in the name slightly too literally. But we visited in the first week, and we can see that being addressed soon (the useful trick of putting felt underneath the tablecloths might be the quickest way to soak up some of the sound).
Where should we meet for a drink first?
While there is a bar at the back of Vibrato, that’s primarily used for counter dining:
Slightly hidden at the back of the restaurant is the bar – but this is primarily for counter dining (and a little space to wait for your table too).
So if you’re looking for a pre/post dinner drink, places close by we’d recommend include the Soho outpost of Three Sheets, just around the corner down Manette Street. We’re also big fans of The Black Book if you’re looking for a nearby wine bar. And at the time of writing, Forza Wine is about to open on Manette Street too – so that’ll also be handy.
And while we’ll get back to the wine at Osteria Vibrato in a bit, it’s well worth kicking things off with a cocktail. They showcase their own takes on classics like a Death in Venice, but there’s also a very long list of cocktails in the “things we love and are happy to make” section of the menu, featuring dozens of cocktails – essentially any classic cocktail you could care to think of. Here’s what we went for:
On the left from the “things we love” section is a Twinkle and on the right their Clover Club
What can we expect from the food?
To get things started, there is a £3 cover charge, which covers the bread, proper premium olive oil and some excellent Lingue di Suocera (that’s mother-in-law’s tongue to you).
Part of what’s covered by the cover charge.
As for the main menu, it’s been created by the impressive combo of Gaia Enria (who founded Burro e Salvia) and Head Chef Louis Lingwood (previously seen at Toklas and Quo Vadis). It takes a classic approach to Italian cuisine, with the most obvious comparisons being restaurants like Polpo or Brutto (like the late Russell Norman’s restaurant, the menu is in both English and Italian).
Here’s what we had:
Gratinated mussels (£11) – these are gratinated in breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and fresh chilli, and given an extra kick by adding fresh bergamot juice and zest.
Sicilian red prawns, finished at the table with a liberal dosage of Tonda Iblea olive oil (£16)
Salt cod with potatoes (£14) – we can’t resist any version of a cod brandade/baccala mantecato when we see it on the menu. This is a very strong showing from Vibrato.
Tagliatelle with white courtyard ragu (£29) – the absolute must-have dish, with a startlingly good ragu. The “courtyard” refers to the use of courtyard animals like old breeder hen and its offal, rabbit and trim of pork belly. It makes for a perfect combo.
Pumpkin stuffed with rice and chestnuts, which is also swimming in a shallow pool of Parmagiono fondue (£35)
And here’s what’s inside that pumpkin, easily one of the best vegetarian dishes we’ve had in a while. It’s huge though – you could easily share this between two.
Veal alla Castellana with fontina and prosciutto (£40) – so good, that it literally had to prised out of the hands of the person who ordered it when it came to swapping the plates around.
We’ve also been hearing very good things about the veal tartare, Brodetto Vastese and the fritto misto, so bear those in mind too.
What about dessert?
At this point, we nearly tapped out as we began sliding into a food coma. However, if you order the amaretti, they’ll take at least 15 minutes to bake, which should give you time to regroup. If the idea of even those sound too much, then we can strongly recommend the chocolate gelato (£6) which was astonishingly good for gelato and apparently dairy-free. It was VERY chocolatey though.
But when it comes down to it, you really can’t leave without these:
Amaretti, which are baked to order (taking 15 minutes, £12). Straight from the oven, these will be among the best amaretti you have ever experienced.
And what about the wine?
The wine is, of course, a crucial part of the experience at Osteria Vibrato, just as it was at the Laughing Heart. There are 250 wines on the list, and a fair few of those are direct from Charlie Mellor’s own cellar. The focus here is on classic wines with minimal intervention, and the aim is to continue to grow and develop the collection. Essentially, if you know a thing or two about wine, you’ll find much to love.
On a more general note, the entry-level wine is around £42 with quite a few choices in the £40s and £50s. We had an Apache x Yohann Moreno red for £52, which was a perfect match for everything we had above.
If you are willing to go up from that, you will of course be rewarded with a much larger selection. It’s also useful to know that the list is ordered both in region and price order.
Overall thoughts
Given how great The Laughing Heart was, it should have been no surprise that Osteria Vibrato would be good too. What is somewhat surprising is just how very strong it is right out of the gate. The vibe in the room is fantastic, the staff are hugely welcoming and engaging and the food is fantastic. Top that all off with a great wine list and you have an immediate Soho hit.
More about Osteria Vibrato
Where is it? 6 Greek St, London W1D 4DE
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit the website and follow them on Instagram @osteriavibrato.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Osteria Vibrato. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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