locanda locatelli

we finally made the journey to Giorgio Locatelli's restaurant near Marble Arch after months of planning a hypothetical visit "at some point". having had mixed experiences with Refettorio, where Locatelli consults, we were happy to find that Locanda Locatelli was yet another step up. locanda, which translates into "inn", lives up to its name with its unpretentious and rich flavours while still capturing remarkable complexity with each bite.

we started with an octopus carpaccio (carpaccio di polipo), which came with a simple accompaniment of tomatoes and basil. the octopus was the star of the dish, thinly sliced and losing the toughness that one tends to get when eating octopus, especially in sashimi.

the two pasta dishes arrived together: the malfatti with ricotta, walnuts and aubergine, topped with tomato puree and a slow-roasted basil leaf, and the tortelli with veal, parmesan and saffron filling. of the two, the malfatti was the more surprising, with the unexpected texture of the roughly diced walnuts and thinly sliced aubergine interrupting the smooth ricotta. the beauty was the basil leaf, which was roasted on a low heat for hours to arrive at the final papery crispness. the complexity of this pasta probably stands it amongst one of the best i've had. unfortunately, in comparison to this the saffron in the tortelli ended up rather lost in the rich veal flavour.

not pictured (but equally enjoyable) was the dessert, a strawberry and mango lasagne with vanilla ice-cream. the lasagne had a clear crystallised sugar coat on top, providing a crunch. the mango did tend to detract from the refreshing tang of the strawberry. while demolishing the dessert, we considered various combinations of fruit - strawberry and rhubarb in the lasagne, with a mint ice-cream?

the entire experience was made especially enjoyable with the attentive service, and after chatting with the waiter all evening, we traded recommendations at the end of it: Atari-ya from us since his wife loved sashimi, in exchange for Il Ponte, a restaurant in Barga, Italy, run by a friend of his.

Locanda Locatelli
8 Seymour Street
London W1H 7JZ