There are two
'Robots' in London, and this, we can presume from the name is the larger one. (The other is called Tiny Robot and is on Westbourne Grove.)
Giant Robot's menu is Italian, but not your average London Italian menu, it's got sub headings like Salumi and Formaggi , as well as more familiar sub categories like Crostini and Cicchetti. They also do things a bit differently with their meatballs, serving them by the ball (£1.35 a ball), on either submarine rolls they call sliders, or with spaghetti or shallot salad with a sauce of your choice.
Portion sizes aren't quite what you'd expect from a traditional Italian restaurant either: they're quite small, and even then they offer two sizes of both of their pastas so that you can have even less. But they do pack a lot of flavour into each dish – especially the salads, the Number 1 Salad with chicory, gorgonzola and walnut is very tasty.
You wouldn't guess at what you'd find on the menu from the décor, which is more 50s futuristic concept design than traditional Italian family home. There's a funky retro edge to it, with several round silver lights arranged in constellations and no red and white checked table cloths to be seen. The roof is clad in large printed metal tiles and there's a cool, but low sitting sofa in the window seat.
One thing they do do in the proper Italian style is the coffee, and the beer is served the way it should be - beside an ice cold glass.
