Marcella, Deptford
Location: 165A Deptford High St, Deptford, London SE8 3NU
Website: https://marcella.london
For our next review we decided to take our search for the best grub in South East London to Deptford. We had heard the whisperings that Deptford is quickly turning into a bit of a food Mecca, so we decided to check it out for ourselves. After doing a bit of research, we reckoned Marcellas would be a good shout. It is a trendy little Italian restaurant located on the high street serving pasta, seafood and meat. It has a classy façade, with paint splatters I couldn’t quite decide were added by the restaurant or by an inconsiderate pedestrian with a can of paint, but either way I was a fan of this potentially unintentional art!
We ordered some olives, giardiniera (pickled vegetables) and bread to nibble on while we were browsing the menu and we were impressed before we had even gotten to the main courses; the pickled vegetables were crunchy and sour and the olives were some of the best we have had. The bread was also very good, a crusty sourdough served with some delicious salty butter.
After the strong start with the nibbles, we knew at that point that the rest of the meal was going to be impressive and we were not wrong. We struggled to decide which 2 of the 3 pastas to pick, so we decided to go for all 3 and share. They had some really interesting flavours and pasta, each one was amazing in its own right. There was the cavatelli with pumpkin, olive and sage; a chunky pasta which was coated in a liberal amount of butter and topped with plenty of parmesan, the quality of ingredients and the simplicity made for a very delightful dish. The spaghetti with crab and chilli came next, which again was very tasty. Finally came the paccheri all’amatriciana; silky sheets of delicious pasta in a very well executed ragu.
After the pasta we went for the squid with spinach and potatoes, a beautiful dish to complement the pasta. For dessert we had the orange & raspberry ice cream with chocolate and pistachio crumb, a very light and flavoursome dish which ended the meal perfectly.
They have a great selection of wine at reasonable prices and the staff are knowledgeable and will be able to recommend a good one. Our waiter recommended a bottle of Pipoli and it was very tasty and went well with the food.
They have gone for a classic understated vibe in the restaurant, with neutral colours and some very fetching classic scandi Louis Poulsen lights. The low lighting gives this place an intimate feel which make it the perfect venue for a date.
Pricewise this place is quite reasonable, we weren’t holding back and the bill came to £50 per person including tip. This is excellent value for money considering the quality of food on offer and we will definitely be returning again.