107 Whitecross Street
EC1Y 8JD
Tel: 020 7588 1798
Web: http://www.albarestaurant.com
Date of Last Visit: Hmmm. It was a Monday.
The Victims: Bastiaan, Natasa, Tobias
The Damage: 20 quid each
You might know that I am obsessed by Whitecross Street. I feel like I am on the cusp of something. That Whitecross Street will soon be the centre of the London universe. It should because it boasts two of my favorite things:
1. Sushi
2. Cheap manicures and pedicures
It also offers a shoe repair shop. (He’s very nice. Support the man!) There’s the Waitrose. (I’ve got a Waitrose roast chicken stuffed with pork in the oven as I write this, seriously.) And there’s a decent pub (The Trader, of Smith & Jones), plus the more colorful pub, the Two Brewers. There’s a cool clothing store (Bread & Honey), and well, many wonderful things.
I digress. It was a Monday night and we were hungry. I have never been to Alba, so off we went. They are the friendliest guys ever, those guys over at Alba. It was like we were their best friends or something.
We all did the trio of bruchetta. This was good, but not great. The bread was crispy like 10 hours ago crispy. And the pate just wasn’t working for me. But it was filling and nice.
We had the house wine and not just one but TWO–yes TWO–jugs of tap water. I am no longer paying for water in restaurants. Ever! After Roast the other weekend, where they so kindly brought over a huge jug’o’tap with lemon slices and everything, I just think 1. Man should not have to pay for water and 2. If Roast can do it, so can everyone else.
So–I had the risotto. I am all over risotto in Italian restaurants because of Ruth Reichl and Garlic & Sapphires. This was good risotto. It was vegetarian, which is so not very interesting. I felt like a little piggy eating a plate of cheesey rice. I could have used some meat. But it was tasty, nonetheless.
The Verdict: Go for the service and the fixed-price two courses. Order the tap water. 🙂 Good business lunch option.
