For almost thirty years, the denizens of Little Venice had enjoyed eating at The Red Pepper, a local Italian restaurant. While the venue had seen its ups and downs over this time, it remained a local institution, and nearly always busy. Many lamented (if not your reviewer, entirely) its closure last year, and so it was with some excitement that its successor, the Little Red Pepper, recently opened on the same site. It has the potential to become another favourite.
The backers of the business seem to have taken the approach that if it ain’t (too) broke, then don’t try and fix it. Think of take-two of the Red Pepper as being an upgrade. All the prior furnishings have been ripped out and the décor repainted. Our group of six – the majority of whom knew the restaurant previously – noted how much brighter the new iteration felt. A terracotta colour scheme has been replaced with off-white, nicely balanced by olive green seating and a wonderful front-facing banquette, which we occupied. The bar has been cleverly repositioned, creating a feeling of more space, plus two additional covers, as our server informed us.
Don’t expect culinary fireworks at the Little Red Pepper. The angle is more pizza and pasta, mostly simple, yet well made. The menu is little changed, with many old favourites such as the eponymous ‘red pepper’ (roasted red peppers and chilli) and the bufalina (Parma ham, fresh Buffalo mozzarella and wild rocket – pictured) as well as classics, such as four seasons or four cheeses, present. All our group noted the quality of the base – thin with a crispy crust – as well as the freshness of the ingredients. Plates were happily cleared.
Although pizza pleased, the same could not quite be said of the venue’s tiramisu. The past may be a foreign country, but the old Red Pepper had earned justified renown for its iteration of this classic Italian dessert. This time around, we found the tiramisu disappointing, lacking in both balance and subtlety. There are, of course, other dessert options and the pizzas are available for take-away too. Pricing is consistent with local levels and a good quality wine list might merit more lengthy perusal.