Marylebone is somewhere I spend a lot of my time, because it has everything you could possibly need. From the loveliest hotel bars to the trendy coffee shops, that actually know how to make decent coffee. Not forgetting the newest restaurant openings, like Fucina that just keep popping up. I’m often enough get a “You were in Marylebone and didn’t tell me?” WhatsApp, from the queen of the area, Ms Kiwi Emma. Where I often throw my hands up in the air and scream “Guilty!” So, Emma, if you’re reading this. Sawwweeee!
Anyway, back to the glorious Marylebone. Chiltern Firehouse was one place that I longed to visit. I heard all the best things, from the finest brunches to the exquisite cocktails. However, we already had plans set to visit Fucina for dinner so we popped in for a quick pre-dinner cocktail.
If you follow me on Instagram, I announced the award of the ‘Best Pornstar Martini’ as The Intercontinental Park Lane towards the end of twenty sixteen. I’ve had my fair share of bad pornstars, that’s the martini’s of course… so I was reluctant to have one so early in twenty seventeen. Nonetheless, I decided to put my rebel cap on and order off the menu and out came this beautiful dish of a drink.
If course you can probably already guess who I was out with, just based on the drink of choice chosen by said person. I was super impressed with my pornstar martini though. It ticked all the boxes and was rather strong, but in a totally positive way. Served with the cutest shot of prosecco, we started our night in the most perfect way.
If you have never been to Chiltern Firehouse, then A) you should and B) just look at all these pretty tea lights that surround the outer terrace. Fitted with heated lamps, roaring fires and blankets, it is a perfect spot all year round.
Our waiter doted on us like no other, which was a lovely touch. He even said he was sad to see us go, when we had to make a move onto Fucina. Don’t worry sir, we will be back for sure!
Pacing our way down through the cold to Fucina, we were greeted by a enormous door and a tall doorman before entering the pretty setting of Fucina. Let me tell you a little bit more about Fucina, since i’ve mentioned it various times already. Started by the owner of Chotto Matte, Kurt Zdesar has branched out into bringing contemporary Italian made with all fresh, organic ingredients.
The architecture of the restaurant reminded me of Chotto Matte, just without the dim lighting. Only to be informed by the waitress that the same architect, Andy Martin had designed Fucina too.
Super excited to try out what Kurt and Chef Stefano had in store for us tonight. Starting with a fresh peach and raspberry purée bellini to kick start our meal. Whilst we were mulling over what to order, our waitress asked us if we wanted to visit the kitchen and see what they get up to. We can never say no to something like that.
As we wandered down the stairs, we passed a beautiful wine glass cupboard that stocked all the wines that are available at Fucina. Entering the ground floor there was the chefs table which sat right in front of the glass panelled kitchen, where the chefs were hard at work.
Chunky pieces of meat on the grill and the crispiest baguettes, what’s not to love? I absolutely admire chefs when they are in their element, doing what they love. Safe to say, we love eating what they muster up for us too. Thank you chefs!
The concept of Fucina is to order a few plates and share them. The true Italian way of dining, which definitely feels like you’re eating with your family.
The portion sizes are really generous, even though we ordered three or four dishes but felt like two would have been enough.
First off, we started with the Bufala pizza. Simple yet delicious. The ingredients shone through and made the pizza taste truly authentic. Like a slice of Italy. I could have definitely eaten the pizza as just one dish, as it was bit enough for a single portion on its own. The pizza had bufala mozzarella, Sicilian Pachino tomato & basil. Mmmm!
We had to order a pasta dish too, because we were in an Italian restaurant. It would be too rude not too, am I right? Pappardelle is one of my favourite pasta types too, so we ordered the Pappardelle Della Nonna which was made with tomato & smoked mozzarella. The smokiness flavour added a whole new level of taste to something quite simple. Simplicity is the key at Fucina, but it works a treat!
To balance out the major carb fest, we ordered the Spatchcock Diavola. The waitress described it as baby chicken, but I was worried about there being bones. She assured me i’d be fine with this dish. Of course, she was right, a selection of four beautifully cooked chicken breasts arrived. The chicken itself was super moist with a great chargrilled layer on the top, with a light sweet flavour.
We paired the chicken with the Wood Fired Sweet Potato, served spiced yogurt & spring onion. It’s often ordered as a dish in itself, but we ate it as a side, accompanying the chicken breasts. The yoghurt balanced out the sweetness of the potato which made it even more enjoyable.
Dessert, the highlight of all restaurants, even more at Italian restaurants.
I’m a huge lover of limoncello, definitely something I don’t have on a regular basis, so why not treat yourself? I had it in the form of limoncello sorbet that was utterly refreshing after quite a heavy meal.
Binny went for the Mascarpone al caffè con biscotti. Mascarpone is the cheese, yes… cheese, that is used in tiramisu. I had a cheesy spoonful before whilst Binny was snapping photo of my dessert. It’s not something I would choose to have, but it had a nice, rich and creamy sweetness to it. Definitely going to stick to it just being a minor part of tiramisu though.
Overall, a phenomenal meal at Fucina. Our waitress did an amazing job at looking after us and made our dynamic duo reunion date night a blast. So much fun. Great cocktails, thanks to Chiltern Firehouse and an amazing meal and experience thanks to Fucina.
Definitely one to try out guys, it’s definitely a hidden gem within Marylebone…
Star rating for Fucina:
Until next time…
