Louis - Taste Of Louis Preview

One of the city's most intimate spots is the fabulous Louis down in Spinningfields, which has become a city centre favourite since it launched last year.  Once through those secretive looking doors at the end of a suitably red carpet, you're welcomed into a world of opulence and celebration. 

We were kindly invited down said carpet to sample the new 'Taste of Louis' menu, which offers a solid choice of New York Italian favourites for the bargain price of just £34.50 for 2 courses, or £39.50 for 3 courses. Clearly we opted for 3 courses.

And as you can already see, we were allowed to break their infamous no-photo policy, which felt rather naughty if I'm being honest! But to keep the suspense alive for you we've limited our pictures to food and beverage only.

We chose;

Iberico Meatballs were a great start to the evening.   Meaty, firm and super juicy made with top quality meat, sat in the silkiest, smoothest tomato sauce that you can imagine.  Delicious

Calamari Fritti is always a go to starter for us, and this was textbook.  Delicate, soft calamari, wrapped in obscenely crunchy yet light batter.  Fresh and satisfying.

Rigatoni Alla Vodka is, oddly, a dish which I've never had before.  I've seen it on a score of menus over the years but just never committed for some reason.  This version made me question why.  A creamy tomato sauce, coating some wonderfully al dente cooked pasta, garnished with crispy guanciale, one of the finest parts of the pig.  Whilst the vodka itself isn't overly evident, the backnotes enhance the tomato and cream laden sauce.  A must try.

And to accompany the pasta course we just had to go with the Chicken Parmigiano.  It's very possibly the single most iconic NYC Italian dish out there, and Louis of course deliver.  A spin on the traditional Milanesa, these were cooked perfectly, topped with oodles of melted cheese, and a couple of Parmesan crackers.  This one is certain to be a sure crowd pleaser.

No main is complete without the sides, so we added the optional Mac and Cheese (£10 supp.), which was a good excuse to order even more pasta, in this case a cheese loaded version.  Wonderfully scented Potatoes with Truffle and Parmesan (£9 supp.) completed the duo of extra carbs perfectly.

After a short break to enjoy the live piano, we dived into a slide of New York Cheesecake, which was a stunner.  Super creamy baked cheesecake, with a lovely biscuit base. The minimalist presentation highlighted the perfect execution of the bake.

Tiramisu is currently the most popular dessert in the world.  We've eaten dozens of them in recent months all across the city, and this one was outstanding.   A supremely rich dish, with booze sponge and small nibs of chocolate for a bit of added texture, adored with piped cream and finished with a more than ample dusting of chocolate powder.

A huge shout out to our brilliant waiter Tony, whose passion for all things baking really stood out via his help in us picking the sweet courses!

So, it's American Italian classics done really well, with a wine cellar that's stocked brilliantly by Berkmann, in a dining room which transports you to another era and feels like a super polished speakeasy.  It will make you feel like a million dollars.

The onsite live entertainment is also fantastic and sets the mood perfectly, with things being expertly managed by the always brilliant and charming Matteo Punzi, whose front of house team delivered a spotless experience which you owe it to yourself to try first hand.

Book your table here, and remember to respect the no photo rule, capisce?

** Our experience was gratefully comped **