Charming Sicilian dishes at Sotto Cucina & Bar Whitechapel

A short walk from Whitechapel, you’ll find a stunning little gem of a restaurant, Sotto Cucina & Bar. Hidden in the basement of a hotel, but don’t let that put you off, the restaurant has gorgeous interiors and a conservatory filled with natural light.

The restaurant is head up by Sicilian chef, Alfio Laudani, who serves a menu of contemporary Sicilian dishes with a focus on quality British ingredients. The menu of typically Sicilian flavours marries the influence of Alfio’s food-centred upbringing in the Catania region of Sicily with his seventeen years cooking in top London restaurants.

When perusing the cocktail menu, there was a selection of summery cocktails. The Assolato combines bourbon with peach liquor, Amaro Averna, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Alternatively, you can enjoy a twist on the Spritz, a Fiorire Sprits. This marries Amaro Santoni, Aperol, lemon juice and raspberry lemonade.

Once suitably lubricated, it’s onto the dishes. The menu has a range of aperitivo and small sharing dishes. I highly recommend the Acciughe – lemon and parsley marinated anchovies which have a salty taste.

To start, I opted for the Trota Agli Agrumi, which was lemon and orange cured Chalk Stream Trout, served with cucumber and wild fennel. The fish was very fresh, and all flavours complemented each other. My guest went for the Insalata Di Mare – a deliciously fresh seafood salad with octopus, cuttlefish and mussels. The portion size on the latter was very generous.

For mains, the menu is split into pizza, pasta and main dishes. We decided on a range of dishes including Merluzzo In Agrodolce – fried cod cheeks with sweet and sour onion, crispy potato and mint. As well we went for a maccheroni served with Sicilian fennel sausage ragout and a Tagliolni Gamberetti e Zuccine – artisan made egg Taglioni served with king prawns, bisque and green courgette. The mains were tasty, none of the dishes reinvented the wheel for me, but they were wholesome, hearty dishes and reasonably priced for the size of each.

Dessert was very impressive and unique. We both went for a slightly lighter option, the orange macerated strawberry salad which was served with lemon sorbet. Vibrant, fresh flavours and very in-season strawberries made this a very standout dish.

With friendly service and relaxed vibes, this is a lovely Italian-inspired restaurant and well worth the visit if you’re this side of town.

Find out more > www.sottorestaurant.london