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Mondragone Nouveau 25-27 Orford Road Walthamstow London, E17 9NL map Tel 020 8509 1990 (new number) I
have been to this restaurant many times over the last 20 years (started
from when it was just an small interment Italian). Andrea
Hello, I just wanted to leave a review about the new Mondragone restaurant since it has reopened.
Saturday will be the 5th or 6th time we have been since its reopened and we love it. True the menu is pretty huge but there’s no rush to choose. I have been choosing from the right-hand side, the chicken, fish etc. I have had the chicken pretty much every time because it’s so lovely. The chicken kiev is rolled chicken on the bone with some sort of glaze. Cut into the chicken and out oozes the hot lovely garlic, together with the little roastie potatoes and spinach, its divine.
The garlic bread starter with rosemary is amazing value at £2.50. You can see the dough being expertly tossed in the kitchen with fresh rosemary added at the end. Dip this in your partners minestrone soup, yum.
The tiramisu is big and silky and creamy and we have almost always had a complimentary limoncello at the end. The price for all this at around £50 is excellent value as we also have the 1L carafe of wine. We are going back again tomorrow and I can’t wait!
Thanks,
Sara
We went to Mondragone again on Friday, had pasta starter & pizza main, both very nice, but the nice thing is that they have listened to what the customers wanted and that was the lights to be dimmed. They have now done this and added a candle to the tables, this has really changed the atmosphere & has given it a more cozy feel.
S Take two adults too lazy to cook, a three year old on a scooter, and a balmy early spring evening. Add a re-launched Mondragone. Set your expectations at a realistic level. Be ready for a very warm welcome, a menu where the prices are much more reasonable that the Old Mondragone, and food which hits the mark because it is simple and well-done. We had Rigatoni Al Dragone (chilli, olives, anchovies and tomato sauce) and Gambarini Linguine, while our daughter had a ham and cheese pizza. The pizza was really good, while the pastas were pretty good for the price. The cold Italian beer was ideal, the desserts were decent enough (I think the same ones as the Old Mondragone used to serve, so they’ve either kept their supplier or found a load left behind in a freezer somewhere – but who cares we still enjoyed them), and it came to about £35 all in. If you go to the
new Mondragone expecting mind-blowing, challenging, meticulously
sourced and fussed-over Italian food, then you probably need to be
reminded that you’re actually closer to Walthamstow market than
Borough market. However, if you want a decent meal at a neighbourhood
restaurant, then I thought it was a good option. Unlike the Old
Mondragone, where the boss used to count his money all the time at the
counter and make you feel like a bit of a walking ten pound note, the
staff were also really keen to be as friendly and helpful as possible.
Good luck to them. As soon as they sort out payment by card, rather
than cash only, let’s hope they continue to provide the lazy and the
young with a decent early evening option. The menu at the recently reopened Mondragone contains a staggering 24 pizzas, 24 pasta dishes and 14 meat and fish options along with half a dozen starters and the usual accompanying dishes.
Prices are cheaper than
it’s predecessor with a pizza or pasta for about £8. The staff, as
mentioned below, are friendly and keen but unfortunately not too
efficient – there seem to be some language problems along with a
fair amount of confusion about the menu (mind you that’s not
surprising - it would take some studying). We were offered olive oil for our
side salad but when I asked for balsamic vinegar the waiter thought I
was complaining about the food and sent the manager over.
Our shared starter - a
tricolore salad was fresh but a bit tasteless with some rather bland
mozzarella, and a distinct lack of dressing or herbs - reminding me a
bit of Mondragone in its previous guise. Indecently there’s no salt
and pepper on the tables so you have to ask for it – which is odd.
Final decisions for main
course were a Siciliana pizza (tomato and cheese base with sun dried
tomatoes and aubergines) and although the Italian Stallion was winking
at me from the bottom of the list of pizzas I decide to be tempted by
the even more oddly named pasta Lolita (a creamy goats cheese sauce,
pesto, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts) I say pine nuts but to be frank
I found 3 or 4 which was a shame as the penne pasta was cooked well
and was quite tasty but could have done with some pine nuts. The
crispy based, sparsely decorated Siciliana lacked ingredient and could
have done with some fresh herbs to liven it up a bit.
The sweet menu was also
substantial with a dozen pastry choices and a similar amount of ice
cream variations including children friendly novelty ices.
One of the things about
Mondragone that used to get up my nose was sight of the owner standing
in the corner of the bar shuffling small pieces of paper – adding up
his takings as the evening progressed. Well it’s still happening,
the current manager/owner was doing the same. And another similarity
that you should be warned about is that the restaurant does not, as
yet, accept card payments. We parted with £37 cash for our starter, 2
main courses, side salad and 3 Peroni beers – so it’s not
expensive.
It’s OK food but nothing
to get too excited about. If you're just popping in for a quick pizza
and you’ve got time to read the menu it does the trick.
Is it better than it
was? Of course it is
Or Maybe not, see
review below...
We went to Mondragone on its opening
night. I have to say that it was truly awful.
The only moderately reasonable starter was a tricolore salad. Two of our party had a tomato meatball starter. The meatballs had the texture of vulcanised rubber. I will only comment on my pizza but it takes some special talent to burn a pizza on the bottom, yet for the the topping to be watery and virtually uncooked. To their credit, they did refund the money for the food (we only paid for the wine) overall it was very poor indeed. One star Charlie Posted 18th April 2011
We
will most definitely return. Best of luck to them.
S
Posted 31st March 2011 All reviews below refer to this restaurant under previous management This restaurant
is closed.
I've been to Mondragone
twice now, and each time was a disappointment. The food is very low
quality and the atmosphere uninspiring. The last time we went we tried
their pizza, thinking maybe they did that well and it was just the
entrees and starters that were no good. We had three different pizzas.
My response: I would have preferred one of those Sainsbury's 'Taste The
Difference' pizzas. I
feel more positive about this restaurant, surprisingly spacious inside
and in a nice location. I
would go back though...couldn't really fault the food & wine. Sue
Oh
dear, I don't like to be negative but... I really can't see the
attraction of this place, although many do. Having visited half a dozen
times I now feel that the last time was indeed my last. The food is
below average, pasta dishes are broadly tasteless, pizzas also bland. I
have complained to staff members about the food and my comments have
been met with scorn, which suggests complacency - probably due to the
fact that Mondragone
remains very popular. The last refurbishment has done nothing but
increase prices with pizza and pasta now at £8 to £10. Aug
08
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