Spiga in Soho

Saturday September 15

We had a perfect, sunny Saturday to take a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich and see the Observatory and the National Maritime Museum.

Got back to Westminster by 6 PM, but the crowds were out for the Thames River Festival, and everything was mobbed. We ended up wandering around Soho looking for a decent restaurant; this one was recommended by our Eyewitness guidebook, and also had the key features of both smelling and looking pretty good (also, there were people in it who looked like they were not trapped).


For starters, we had nicely pan-fried sea scallops (complete with roe) on a bed of chopped asparagus and pears in a mustard sauce; and thin-sliced salmon made into a kind of Italian seviche with balsamic vinegar, in mixed greens. Our main courses were tortelloni (with a bit of pan-fry on them, as if they were pot-stickers) stuffed with buffalo ricotta, napped with a sort of pesto of asparagus seasoned with parmesan and marjoram, and topped with a basil leaf; and amazing giant prawns wrapped in shrouds of fried shoestring potatoes (though as their heads and shells were still on, you had to take the potatoes off to shell the prawns) served with absolutely delicious turnips - I think they were poached in chicken bouillion with a touch of honey and pepper.

We had started out haplessly, but ended up fully satisfied.