LFP vs Rocco

If there is one thing South Kensington doesn’t have a shortage of, it’s Italian restaurants. FELIX decided to put two of the more similarly priced places head to head; the more rustic and traditional Rocca, and the modern, do-it-yourself, Loves Fresh Pasta.

First, we headed to Loves Fresh Pasta who claim to serve an ‘artisan country food at a pace that the city life demands’. Sounds perfect for budget conscious students, right? Loves Fresh Pasta is owned by multi-millionaire David Gold, also behind the hair extension business Great Lengths, and his daughter Jessica Gold. They opened up their first restaurant in 2013. While it did look like they were going to become a chain as they once had two restaurants in London, the South Kensington restaurant is currently the only one.

The restaurant, located directly opposite South Kensington station, gives you a glimpse of the future with the idea to make servers virtually obsolete. On each table there is a tablet where you place your order. Alternatively, you can order with a waiter in which case a service charge applies. The ordering system is very much a “personal experience” – you get to pick your pasta and sauce separately from an extensive but slightly overwhelming list of options.

We chose the abbracci sauce (tomato based with cured pork) and a simple basil pesto. We also though we might give their pizzas a try. The pizza menu was slightly less inspiring, and we opted for half Hawaiian and half pepperoni.

While you are waiting, you are given tomato and basil bruschetta – this was fresh and warm, perfect to snack on while you wait for your main course to arrive.

There are three size options for pasta and we opted for the smallest, which was kids’ size – a good lunch option but not priced much lower than the regular. The pasta was cooked well in both cases. The vibrant and fresh tomato sauce coated the pasta perfectly and made for a very enjoyable dish. The pesto sauce on the other hand was disappointing: too much of it and swimming in oil.

There’s not much you can say about bad pizza, and there is even less you can say about this pizza. It was in short, unremarkable – copious amounts of bland stringy cheese, watery ham and oily pepperoni sat on top of a too thin, crust-less base. If you do go to Loves Fresh Pasta, don’t get the pizza. The servers, who we saw much more than usual due to the tablets not working, were attentive but a little subdued. In a few words, they were unexceptional.

Next we headed to Rocca, which on the outside seems like your bog standard Italian eatery. We walked in expecting a typical, nothing to-write-home-about meal, something we could find on any high street. In some cases it was, but from the get go we realised the homey, traditional restaurant had something quite distinct. The hardwood floors and low lighting gave a cosy and comfortable feel. The seating was cramped, which we quickly discovered was due to the popularity of the restaurant. Despite this, we managed to procure a table without reservation. For large parties at peak hours we definitely recommend booking in advance, to avoid disappointment.

Rocca is a small chain, with another restaurant in Dulwich Village. The restaurant in South Kensington had a great buzzy atmosphere. The waiters were friendly, attentive and quick with suggestions.

Rocca is a fully rounded restaurant, serving the expected pasta and pizza as well as having meat and fish options, though they were slightly more expensive.

We chose their basil pesto pasta, mainly to make a direct comparison between the restaurants. We were glad we did. A rich, flavourful sauce, strong with basil, complemented by crunchy pine nuts, coated perfect, al dente pasta which left a smile on our faces.

We ordered the regina pizza which was topped with mushrooms, olives and ham. After tasting the pasta, we certainly had high expectations and were not disappointed. A thin, crispy base with a delicious fluffy crust, was garnished abundantly with the highest-quality toppings, all in perfect balance.

There is a comprehensive selection of typical Italian desserts at reasonable prices. On a prior visit one of the writers had tiramisu. It was a decently large portion, creamy, but was otherwise unremarkable. In South Kensington there are many great dessert places with similar prices, so if you’re looking for something a bit more interesting it might be best to skip dessert here.

Both restaurants had their pros and cons, the namesake in Loves Fresh Pasta was mainly good and kudos to them for their futuristic theme – however, we left feeling quite disappointed, especially with the pizza. However, with the 20% student discount and the very tasty abbracci pasta we would definitely suggest you give it a try. Rocca on the other hand, is perfect for a comfortable sit down meal. It has fantastic food, albeit mediocre dessert. While they do not offer a student discount, their prices are very competitive for the area. We certainly recommend you go there for a nice catch up with some mates or a place to go when the family comes to visit.