Locanda Locatelli (Marylebone)

In 2002 Giorgio Locatelli opened this restaurant; he gained a Michelin star the following year and they have held this accolade ever since.  Although I gather the kitchen has had a make over in recent years, the dining room, decor and furniture appeared very much the same from my visit 6 years ago and much as I like the round banquettes and layout of the room, the cream coloured leather on the sofa seats were clearly in need of a similar facelift or change as ours appeared worn and stained in parts.

In terms of food, breads appeared to be a strength of the restaurant, so much so, that they are also used as the amuse bouche in the form of pizza and schiacciata mini breads (the latter being made with anchovies, tomatoes, onion and picorino cheese to a very satisfying effect).  A small pity was the butter being hard as rock and needing a good 15 minutes to become spreadable.  The bread sticks were as they were from years ago (fine, but unremarkable) and the the menu appeared to be a very similar format.

It was only after we had ordered our a la carte dishes that the specials were mentioned and in this was a wonderfully sounding chestnut soup which we ordered on top and shared.  This had good all round flavour and was appropriate as an Autumnal dish.  The mains were more on the spicy side again, appropriate for the fact that they mainly represent dishes from Southern Italy.  The linguine was indeed fine with well done lobster and chili oil that gave a manageable kick for me, not enough for my dining guest who required some more heat; the staff happily obliged with some chilli flakes on the side on request.  The handmade pasta main (generally the size of long cigarettes) was a nice change from the norm and being quite thick cuts, this allowed the pasta to be the main component with a mix of spicy salami, tomatoes, black olives, buffalo ricotta cheese and parmesan shavings at the table.  This had reasonable flavour, but not as much as I was hoping for and was surprisingly clumsy in presentation for a Michelin starred restaurant.  Of the two mains, the linguine won the day.

Clearly, the fabled Italian tiramisu was needed to try – if you are in a Michelin starred Italian restaurant this was the most no brainer decision to make, to see how Locanda deal with this classic dessert.  This version was served with sugared amaretto crumbs on top which had a lovely crunch to them and although I had to forage for seemingly half a lifetime to get to the actual soaked biscuit base, this wasn’t actually a problem as the very best bit was the light, yet well-flavoured cream I had to wade through, so not a problem!  So, a worthwhile order is the bottom line here.

The ice creams I thought weren’t as successful but not a disaster at the same time.  The white chocolate ice cream had an almost perfume-like quality and was not a scratch on Le Gavroche’s version; the lime ice cream was a little too sharp for my palate but noteworthy with its delicate marshmallow sticks; even the pistachio ice cream was a little bit heavier and stronger than I would have preferred.  I was reminded to how a better version of pistachio gelato existed in a simple Gelateria experienced in Rome.   However, the almond biscuits of the petit fours were quite wonderful with their beautifully soft and moist interior with crunchy and warm exterior.  The truffle chocolates were also to a high standard of silky decadence.

Overall, I was pleased to be back here at Locanda Locatelli to see a better side of the food and although it does not have more reasonable set menu options, the staff were very accommodating throughout and it was a pleasant visit all round.  I think the format of the menu and the decor is approaching a time of a needed facelift soon and if you wish hearty and authentic Italian produce, then you are not going to go too far wrong than come here.