Tuscanic Ltd

Tuscanic, 72 Old Compton Street, Soho – Sateenmuruja

This month’s highlight in my life has been Soho: I love its history balancing on the verge of decadence and vice, I love the little coffee shops and restaurants representing the whole city’s multiculturalism, I love the little alleyways with cartoon and coffee shops and, in general, the atmosphere of the area where once jazz filled the cellars, writers flocked to the bars, and British rock ’n’ roll was born.

At first I thought that Tuscanic was just a tiny little restaurant with tables lining one corridor in front of the counter but, in fact, the corridor lead into a bigger dining area at the back: a spacey but cosy room with about ten wooden tables and simple and rustic decoration.

The menu included, for example, plates of Italian cured meats and cheeses, breads (such as Tuscan style focaccia ‘La Schiacciata’ with vegetables and ‘Le Bruschette’ with several options for toppings), and traditional Tuscan soup and salads.

As a starter we shared olives and two tomato bruschettas on a thinly sliced crispy white bread: they were, again, simple yet tasty and brought me in my memories to the autumn when I visited my friends on the Tuscan hills next to Florence.

My sidekick also has a strange aversion to chocolate cakes (I think his eyes have turned brown just because of all the chocolate he has eaten), and as the Tuscanic’s Il Dolce part of the menu offered Pistocchi chocolate cake, I knew from the start that we wouldn’t be able to leave the restaurant without a chocolaty ending to it all.

A little slice of Tuscany in Soho | Tuscanic, 72 Old Compton Street ...

This long and narrow Italian café bypasses London-based suppliers and goes straight to Tuscany for its charcuterie, bread, beer, wine and even its bottled water.

We opted for a Il Misto £10,50/16 designed for sharing – a selection of Tuscan cured meats and cheeses served on a wooden tray along a basket of assorted bread, focaccia and breadsticks.

Ade said the cheese was some of the most intense, full flavoured that he’s had it a long time.

Regular readers will know that I can’t bear cheese… Il Panino £6 Tuscan style focaccia stuffed with ham, tomato and dripping in olive oil, oh so simple but lovely, some of my favourite flavours.

Ade had the Il Crostone (crostini’s bigger brother) £7, a toasted slice of bread topped with Tomino cheese, bacon, rocket leaves.

Tuscanic, Soho London -

Tuscanic, Soho

Tuscanic, s deli-café in Soho, transports the long-forgotten tradition of merende – a snack favoured by older-generation Italians – to Old Compton Street.

Stylish but understated, the Soho space showcases an emphasis on genuine, quality ingredients combined with warm, open-armed Mediterranean service.

The menu includes hearty soups in rustic terracotta bowls; a charcuterie board of premium beef and pork cuts from bresaola to salty prosciutto; paninis stuffed with salami, porchetta and mozzarella; and fresh, seasonal pizzas and crostones topped with roasted pork, caprino and Tuscanic’s wine list is small and yet still boats more than a dozen of the Tuscany region’s best bottles, all by the glass: as well as the perquisite Chianti Classico DOCG Candialle (£35), oenophiles can swill the likes of a flowery Allodio IGT Bianco Podere San Michele (£25), an intense Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella (£45), and celebratory spirits such as Grappa di Chianti (£35).

Tuscanic’s graniglia floor – made from leftover marble grains – recreates the look and feel of native Tuscan cafés; the tables and chairs are made with the grape-stained interiors of recycled wine barrels whilst the counter is made from their exteriors; and the walls are white and uncluttered save for a series of black-and-white photographs of traditional Tuscan foods.

Tuscanic | Restaurants in Soho, London

Traditional Tuscan dishes, of course.

That means Tuscan cheeses and cured meats, Tuscan-style focaccia, beef tartare from Chianina cattle and a range of traditional Tuscan desserts, including their take on tiramisu and a range of cantucci biscuits, in the original Prato style.

Beers include Bianca, Lilith and Stoner, all of which are from Birrificio Bruton – a Tuscan craft beer outfit.