Coco di Mama offers the experience of high quality Italian cucina at very economical prices. Altogether a very satisfying meal served promptly without sacrificing quality.

Coco di Mama
90 Fleet Street
London EC4Y 1DH
Tel: 020 7583 9277

When it comes to a lunchtime bite, sometimes a sandwich just doesn’t cut the mustard. Around the City’s square mile the office worker is somewhat spoilt for choice with a plethora of up-market take-outs to choose between. Coco di Mama (Mummy’s Boy in Italian), is a newcomer to the area offering a fresh approach to fast food for those short on time but who won’t comprise on taste.

The interior is bright and clean, with welcoming staff who will serve you quickly and efficiently so you can be on your way. There are places to eat inside but it is a functional setting and not somewhere to linger and the prices reflect this. The main focus here is good quality pasta dishes served in smart containers which can be easily eaten back at the office without spillage. In fact, as I commented at the time, this is wonderful hangover food, hot and tasty, with some substance and energy for the afternoon ahead. There is no license here but there are some very tasty homemade smoothies, fruit juices and Italian branded fizzy drinks to enjoy.

The specific pasta used here is Al Bronzo which is a name new to me but for those connoisseurs of Italian cuisine I believe this is something of a blue chip variety. Pretty much everything they can make on site they do, including all their homemade sauces. These ranged from classic pomodoro, slow cooked bolognaise, garden pesto, puttanesca, and pollo bianco. There is also a daily changing lasagne – on the day we visited it was Portobello mushroom and spinach. Every day fresh soups are prepared and we tried some authentic and flavoursome minestrone. If all that doesn’t grab you there are plenty of other options. Very fresh looking salads included an Italian charcuterie, a tricolore and a goat’s cheese and butternut squash. As well as artisan baguettes and stone baked pastries. All the food tasted very fresh whilst the pasta and sauces were very well cooked and appetising to eat. For dessert there is a whole range of gooey looking treats, including a terrific tiramisu, and a wonderfully creamy lemon Sicilian cheesecake which was rich and authentic and no doubt highly calorific. If coffee’s your thing then you are in for a treat! The coffee is Climpson and Sons which is known for its authentic and rich taste serving up a coffee that would please even a homesick Italian.

To conclude, Coco di Mama offers the experience of high quality Italian cucina at very economical prices. Altogether a very satisfying meal served promptly without sacrificing quality. A firm recommendation to try if in the area.

http://www.cocodimama.co.uk

Louise Elgin. July 2011.
Pasta range from £3.70 – £4.90.