Brunello (Italian)
Above: Brunello, where Bill welcomes the arrival of a new chef
Last time I went to Brunello, the smart Italian restaurant in the Baglioni Hotel, near Kensington Palace, I had an ordinary meal at an extraordinary price. With the chef having moved on, and the new management promising not to charge £40
for a small piece of veal, I tried it again.
Things are much improved. New head chef Andrea Vercelli seems to be modest enough not to inflict gratuitous modernism on classic Italian dishes: his plates of rustic Tuscan dishes like ribollita and panzanella may be elegant in appearance, but they have not lost the qualities that first made them classic. It may be unfair of me, but I really detest mucked-about Italian cooking. I had dinner last year at the two-starred restaurant of one of the primary exponents of Italian nuovo cucina. One of his specialities is a savoury (actually rather unsavoury) version of îles flottantes, featuring a crème anglaise made, for some reason known only to the chef, with chicken stock. Not very Italian, and not very edible. Lord preserve us from such progress.
Thankfully, Signor Vercelli’s culinary muse shuns such excesses. Carpaccio is cut from a good piece of fillet, and thankfully not drenched in truffle oil; duck ravioli with butter and sage is cleverly constructed to avoid greasiness; wild sea bass is partnered with a piquant mix of olives capers and anchovies.
Prices are around 30 per cent lower than under the previous regime – although that serves to make them merely reasonable, rather than extortionate – and the food is much better. The wine list is as extensive as ever, although bargains may be hard to find, and there is a generally more relaxed and professional air to front-of-house. This extends to the bartender, who makes an excellent dry Martini, which I heartily recommend: a stool at the bar in the Baglioni affords some of the best people-watching to be found this side of Milan. Bill Knott
Dinner for two, with wine, around £100
Brunello, 60 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, SW7 5BB
020 7368 5700