What are capesante?Pan-fried scallops in lemon butter at Fiena, King's Cross

One scallop in Italian is a capasanta, and two or more are capesante (Wiktionary). The scientific name of the scallop family, Pectinidae, comes from the Latin pecten, "comb", after a comb-like structure on the shell.

A scallop offers two textures. The firm, white meat is the part usually called "the scallop", and the soft roe, often bright reddish orange, is called the coral. In the UK you'll find scallops sold with or without the coral. Cooks all over the world have their own way with them. In French cooking, scallops are often cooked quickly in a hot buttered pan or served in a white wine sauce. In Scotland, where king scallops are a delicacy, they're usually pan-fried and often served with black pudding or bacon. In Galicia they're baked with breadcrumbs, ham and onion, and in Japan they're served as sashimi or sushi. Background from Wikipedia's scallop page.

The scallop shell is one of the most recognisable shapes in art. It's the traditional emblem of St James the Great, and medieval pilgrims on the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela collected a scallop shell as proof of their journey. That's why, in French, the scallop is coquille Saint-Jacques, and in German, Jakobsmuschel, "James's shellfish".

Italy gave the shell its most famous moment. Painters often included a scallop shell to identify Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and the best-known example is Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, probably painted in the mid-1480s, which shows the goddess arriving at the shore after her birth from the sea. The painting hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. More on Wikipedia's Birth of Venus page.

On our main menu, the Capesante are pan-fried scallops with a lemon buttery sauce. They're gluten free, and like all our starters they're served from midday until close. They make a lovely light start before pasta or fish, or share them with a few other plates in the middle of the table.

Yasmeen called one of our seafood pastas one of the best pasta dishes ive ever had (Yasmeen, Google review), and one guest summed it up as Great, authentic food (Google review).

Scallops are in good company on our starters list. There are Baby calamari, deep-fried baby squid with tartar sauce and lemon; Tiger prawns cooked with garlic, cherry tomato, white wine and a touch of tomato sauce; Mussels with capers, anchovies, olives, garlic, white wine and tomato sauce, served with toasted bread; and Marinated seafood in olive oil, lemon juice and mixed herbs. For a main, try the Linguine vongole, the Risotto asparagus & prawns or the Sea bass with capers sauce. See our posts on linguine alle vongole, risotto and seafood and antipasti.

Butter and lemon love a crisp, mineral white. From our drinks menu, the Sancerre from the Loire has a fresh mineral finish, the Albarino from Galicia, a region with its own baked scallop dish, brings bright lime and green apple, and the Pouilly Fuisse Albert Bichot has ripe pear, white peach and gentle oak. Or start with a glass of Prosecco. Planning an evening for two? Our date night post has ideas.

“The food here is amazing. Ilir, the chef, is very talented.”

Kiley, Google review, 2026