Cielo Restaurant Opens in Mayfair, London

Last Thursday, little ol’ FIL (Foodie In London) was delighted to accept an invitation to try it out the swanky new Italian restaurant Cielo in Mayfair.

Cielo, What’s The Deal?: This upmarket pint-sized restaurant and bar has just five or six tables downstairs. Head chef Monserrato Marini offers an Italian menu with Sardinian influences. Upstairs the mezzanine bar area is the perfect playpen for the rich and glamorous and the entrance hall houses changing collections of art.

Cielo, Get the Look: Italian architect Rossella Stina has given Cielo a creamy, dreamy look. In the dining area Philippe Starck chairs, crisp white tablecloths, twinkling candles, mirrors and metal beaded curtains hanging down the back wall all fit together harmoniously.

Cielo, The Food: We were greeted by a flurry of tanned, good looking Italian waiters and escorted to a corner booth table for two next to the bar.

Bar manager Andreas Jansson was at the nearby Cuckoo Club previously so it seemed only polite to kick off with a couple of his Cielo creations. I had a Cielo Bubble – green apple liqueur, elderflower, cloudy apple and Moët & Chandon which was very tasty and mu dining partner aka boyfriend went for the Cielo Negroni - Bombay Sapphire gin, Campari, Martini Fiero and rhubarb syrup.

Bread and foccacia was served the authentic Italian way – with lashings of oil and balsamic vinegar.

To start I had grilled beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan which was delicious and an absolutely huge portion, while BF had an equally generous plate of scallops with pancetta and avocado sauce. The scallops were large, firm and beautifully cooked and the pancetta was still nicely soft. It was prettily presented and we were still dreaming of the dish on Sunday evening.

We drank a light and lemony Fiano d’Avellino, DOCG, LA Molara, Campania, recommended by the waiter.

After the generous-sized starters, I was a little disheartened by the size of our main courses in comparison although my dish of homemade tortellini with seabass and lemon butter was an absolute triumph albeit a small one. The lemon sauce was wonderfully tangy, herby and fresh and the tortellini was served properly al dente.

BF had a tender piece of lamb fillet wrapped in pancetta stuffed with rosemary and black truffles from Norcia with roasted onions and potatoes. Delicious again although neither of us noticed the truffles.

We finished up with a tiramisu and vanilla panna cotta with Amarena cherries.

Cielo, Toilet Watch: Compared to the uber design-led dining room the toilets are a bit of a let down. There’s a white square china basin, throwaway paper towels and three basic toilet cubicles. Won’t be a memorable trip.

Cielo, The Final Word: If you’ve got cash to splash and you’re looking for a late night drinking spot to impress this is worth a venture. A fully retractable roof and a late night drinking license until 5am are both planned for summer.

Cielo: 3 New Burlington Street
Mayfair
London
W1S 2JF
0207 297 2893

Cecconi’s

I think Cecconi’s is my favourite Italian restaurant in London. The classic Mayfair establishment is a slick operation with polished staff, a buzzy central bar (complete with hanging hams and good-looking Italians perching for a drink), and comfortable seating ideal for people watching if you nab a spot by the window.

I visited on Saturday with one of my favourite and most generous of dining companions (and bearer of a healthy credit card) – Mr H.

We popped in after seeing the brilliant Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy (go if you can get tickets). Our time was so enjoyable it turned into a long, boozy lunch, which resulted in unnecessary purchases at Regent Street’s Habitat on the way home. Oops.

The Food:
I started with a delicious dish of gnocchi with butternut squash puree and Mr H had a rather decadent potato soup with truffle shavings.

For main course I went for the waistline option of rare seared salmon, artichoke, fennel and quail eggs. It was fresh and lovely but tasted a little bit too on the healthy side. I would have preferred a bit more of a lively dressing on it.

Mr H. had, without a doubt, the largest piece of rib-eye steak I have ever seen served in a restaurant, which came served with purple sprouting broccoli and a side order of spinach. The piece of meat was so large he was defeated before he reached the end and that is the first time I’ve ever seen any man not finish a steak!

To accompany, we drank our way through a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio and then a nice bottle of Vermentino di Sardegna 'Crabilis', Pala, Sardinia Italy, 2008.

Moving on to desserts, we indulged in chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream and apple tart with custard cream. Bellissimo!

Toilet watch: Fresh lillies, a posh marble basin, Cowshed hand wash and hand cream and individual towels.

Cecconi’s
5a Burlington Gardens
London W1S 3EP
T: (0)20 7434 1500

Italian Tapas At Polpo

Last night I took one of my oldest gal pals out to dinner to hear about a crazy trip to Ibiza over a lovely bottle of Montepulciano and cicheti (sharing plates of Italian tapas) at Polpo.

Polpo has just opened on Beak Street, and is the brainchild of Russell Norman, who used to work as operations director for Caprice Holdings, looking after top London restaurants like The Ivy, J Sheekey and Scott's.

Head chef Tom Oldroyd worked at Bocca di Lupo previously, another acclaimed Italian restaurant in Piccadilly, which opened last year.

The mid-18th century townhouse restaurant was heaving when we arrived with people seated at every table, eating at the zinc-topped bar and standing around at the entrance. This all helped to conjure up the rustic Venetian tavern style dining these guys are hoping to create.

We were seated at a row of tables for two running down the left hand side of the restaurant. Trying to get out to nip to the loo if you were on the inside banquette was no easy task and it was all a little too close to your neighbours for my liking.

On the plus side though, it was busy, bustling, and the food was reasonably priced. Our best starters included a delicious Gorgonzola and walnut wrapped in Mortadella (£1.90) and fig, prosciutto and mint served on grilled bread (£1.80) – sweet fruit, with meat and some fresh herb – one of my all time favourite flavour combinations.

Moving on to meats, we chose a dish of tender pork belly which came with a generous amount of crackling alongside radicchio and hazelnuts (£5.50); roast pumpkin, prosciutto and ricotta (£6) was interesting although I would have preferred a little more spice and flavour in the pumpkin; and Bigoli (buckwheat pasta) with anchovies although not to my liking (cold fishy noodles, eugh) was authentically Venetian and the pasta was homemade on site.

Polpo is no fine dining restaurant but nor is it trying to be. It's perfect for a lively dinner with a bunch of mates after interesting tasting and honestly priced food and wine and an easygoing dining experience.

I'm looking forward to returning to sample the other half of the menu!

We skipped dessert and instead jumped into a black cab to get to the official launch of Eight Club in Moorgate. Four floors up in a glass elevator, this private members bar and restaurant has floor to ceiling glass walls all over and 360 degree views of the city from the large outside terrace. The pomegranate cocktails were good but it ain't a patch on the nearby Shoreditch House.