Where
Vapiano, Soho

What
The third Vapiano site in London follows the same concept – homemade pasta, pizza and salad dishes cooked fresh in front of guests. Each dish is ordered using a smart card system, which is tapped onto the till every time you order, meaning an easy and efficient paying system as you leave the restaurant.

The experience
I bet you think I’m going to talk about a big, juicy pizza here, don’t you? Well, guess again folks; I managed to restrain myself from ordering a pizza and instead opted for a pasta dish and a salad.

We arrived on a Thursday evening at 6.30pm and grabbed a seat on one of the tall communal tables straight away. The friendly host asked if we were familiar with the Vapiano system and provided us with our payment cards. For those who aren’t familiar with the system, you order what you want to eat from one of the three stations – pizza, salad, or pasta, and touch your card on the reader. When you are finished, simply present your card at the till near the exit and pay for what you have eaten.

I really love the concept at Vapiano, although I think we were lucky with the fact that there was zero waiting time when we visited – I imagine it can be quite frustrating having to queue. I also enjoyed the way that you interact with the chef as they cook your meal. Want extra chilli? All you need to do is ask as they scoop it into the pan.

There is a range of different pastas available and all are made fresh on site each day. I was recommended the Congnac pasta dish and I chose to have it cooked with linguine. As soon as the chef started cooking my dish I knew I had made the wrong choice. The sauce was a mix of cream and tomato and served with chicken breast, bacon, peas, garlic and cognac. I’m sure it would be totally delicious for someone who loves a cream sauce, but for me it wasn’t tasty as a pure tomato based sauce would have been.

The tomato, rocket and mozzarella salad was an absolute delight. Gooey buffalo mozzarella with sweet cherry tomatoes, peppery rocket and dressed with balsamic and olive oil.

We chose to share a dessert – a small pot of tiramisu, which was light and creamy with a mild hit of coffee – just how I like it.

Cost
Homemade pizza and pasta from £6.95, salads from £4.25. A range of specially selected and well priced wines are available.

Address
84 Wardour Street
London
W1F 0TQ

Opening Times
Sunday – Thursday: 11am to 11pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am-12pm