On the quiet-but-understate-cool Wilton Road, between Hackney and Dalston, Ornella’s feels right at home, even though it’s only just opened its doors. With a butter yellow facade, cafe-curtained windows and warm wooden interiors, it shares the same DNA as its sister restaurant Lupa (see next on our list), although Ornella focuses on Milanese cuisine rather than Roman. Chefs Naz Hasan and Alessandro Boscolo have put together a messy, satisfying symphony of dishes one moment delicate (wafer-thin vitello tonnato with capers) and the next outrageously indulgent (the tagliatelle burro e parmigiano must have an illegal amount of cheese). These are nice, simple dishes done well, that don’t take too much effort to impress. Sides are also exceptional, like velvety potato puree, and garden peas with onions and crispy, salty guanciale. They’re a great match for cotoleta de pollo, essentially a chunky chicken schnitzel. A bunet, a small brick of chocolatey crème caramel, is a triumphant way to end a meal at this new Italian gem.
9-15 Pavilion Road, London SW1X 0HD
Between the capital’s new generation of trattorias and Italian-American style bars, Italian food is having a moment in London. At Sal e Pepe, a restaurant in Knightsbridge that has been delivering Italian comfort food for over 50 years, it’s never gone out of style. Situated around the corner from Sloane Street, within easy reach of Harrods and Harvey Nichols, the restaurant offers a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of central London. Use it as a place to stop between shops or book for a special occasion. The interior has an old-fashioned elegance – think crisp white tablecloths and candlelight.
Warm bread arrives soon after you’re seated and you’ll peruse a menu that features all the Italian classics, whether you’ll want to share a few items or tuck into your own plate of pasta. We started with a very good aubergine parmigiana, made with a rich San Marzano tomato sauce. The cacio e pepe was the high point of the meal. It’s prepared table-side in cheese wheels, each strand of pasta coated in a bright, peppery sauce. Dover sole made for a lovely sharing option; Along with this was an old fashioned dinner theater as it filled up in front of us. The curated cocktail list features a list of interesting Negroni variations, each as tempting as the next. After working your way through the menu, it’s not hard to understand how Sal e Pep secured its position as a long-time favorite on the London dining scene.
10a Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5AE
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