As a fan of Bocca Di Lupo and Gelupo, I was looking forward to checking out their latest venture, Vico, that recently opened smack bang in the middle of Cambridge Circus, opposite The Palace Theatre. The menu is meant to focus on affordable Italian dishes inspired by streetfood.
The place is pretty immense and did seem a bit bare with minimal seating, which I think is meant to give the feel of ‘eating in an Italian piazza’. There are some high tables and stools, and some concrete steps along the walls – everything seems pretty casual here. There is a tall pillar in the centre of the vast space, forming a centre-point where the multiple strings of light-bulbs converged.
Unsure as to how the ordering system worked, we approached the counter where we were informed that the food is charged according to weight (£3.00/100g) – they were having a soft launch (50% off) at that time so our total bill was even cheaper which was an absolute bargain.
The array of dishes were not particularly very clearly displayed as we hunched down and peered through the glass to try and read the labels – probably just an early trial run presentation which hopefully will be tweaked accordingly in future.
We decided to order a sharing platter and tried most of the dishes except for the pizza – a nice selection of arancini balls, mixed meat skewers, some fried fish and courgette fries. There were also some salad dishes – we had a small portion of the rabbit with roast red onion, farro and tarragon salad.
The drinks menu is basic and straightforward – house wine which is charged by the carafe/glass (£3.00/glass), alongside spritz, beers and soft drinks. Glasses are freely available to grab from multiple baskets around the room.
There were also tasty trays of sweet treats being circulated around the room for customers to sample – we tried the chocolate and almond cake, and the almond biscotti.
On the far side of the room near the front is a large Gelupo counter serving up gelato and other iced desserts, as well as their speciality coffees. A much wider and airier space compared to their original location on Archer Street. I ordered a medium sized cone with the melon and peach sorbet which was sweet and refreshing. I am also quite a fan of their affogatos, and I’m sure this will be the first of many future visits.
I had quite a late breakfast prior to this visit, so this was ideal for me as a quick bite instead of a full-on lunch. I must admit that I have not had as much Italian streetfood so I can’t really comment on the authenticity, but all I can say is that I was satisfied with what I had. It’s a great central location and less jam-packed than the other two sites, and knowing how much I love Gelupo, this will be yet another temptation that will be hard to resist…
The Cheekster, signing out x
