To celebrate our seven year anniversary in March, my boyfriend and I went for dinner at the recently revamped Theo Randall at The Intercontinental in Mayfair. The Michelin-starred British chef was Head Chef at the acclaimed River Café for fifteen years before relocating to Park Lane to open his own restaurant at the five star hotel ten years ago. Randall creates award-winning Italian cuisine and prefers unfussy, rustic dishes using excellent quality seasonal ingredients. Like the cooking, the décor is understated: chic neutral colours, wooden tables, contemporary art, white crockery and linen napkins.
We started at the bar with two glasses of chilled Villa Sandi prosecco, a plate of deliciously moreish Zucchini fritti, big green olives and almonds. As the restaurant began to fill up we were taken to our table and served with a plate of warm toasted bread with tomatoes and foccacia as we pored over the menu. The wine list isn't split by region but rather by seasons and the emotions they conjure (how very Latin) - we went for a dry, golden Greco di Tufo from Benito Ferrara and instead of a starter, main and dessert each we opted for sharing three antipasti dishes, two primi and one secondi. That's what happens when you order when you're hungry...
To start we had a fresh, light burrata with marinated artichoke, swiss chard and Taggiasche olive tapenade and a carne salata with thin slices of black Angus beef and radicchio drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar, pine nuts and chunky Parmesan shavings. Next was a plate of hot pan-fried calamari with flecked Lamon borlotti beans, anchovies, chilli, parsley and chopped rocket.
The handmade ravioli con cime di rapa - my favourite dish - is a delicious, buttery ravioli filled with cime di rapa, ricotta and sage butter, and the famous cappelletti di vitello is stuffed with slow-cooked veal, pancetta and porcini mushrooms. I'd go back just for these two dishes on their own. The portions are pretty large so we struggled with our last dish of wood-roasted turbot, Sicilian red peppers, rainbow chard and capers. To finish, our waiter surprised us with a little plate of chocolate truffles to top off an evening of great service. It's been named the best Italian restaurant in London and I'm inclined to agree: if you're looking for a high end yet relaxed place with truly excellent food, book your table now.
Theo Randall at The Intercontinental, 1 Hamilton Place, W1J 7QY
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We started at the bar with two glasses of chilled Villa Sandi prosecco, a plate of deliciously moreish Zucchini fritti, big green olives and almonds. As the restaurant began to fill up we were taken to our table and served with a plate of warm toasted bread with tomatoes and foccacia as we pored over the menu. The wine list isn't split by region but rather by seasons and the emotions they conjure (how very Latin) - we went for a dry, golden Greco di Tufo from Benito Ferrara and instead of a starter, main and dessert each we opted for sharing three antipasti dishes, two primi and one secondi. That's what happens when you order when you're hungry...
To start we had a fresh, light burrata with marinated artichoke, swiss chard and Taggiasche olive tapenade and a carne salata with thin slices of black Angus beef and radicchio drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar, pine nuts and chunky Parmesan shavings. Next was a plate of hot pan-fried calamari with flecked Lamon borlotti beans, anchovies, chilli, parsley and chopped rocket.
The handmade ravioli con cime di rapa - my favourite dish - is a delicious, buttery ravioli filled with cime di rapa, ricotta and sage butter, and the famous cappelletti di vitello is stuffed with slow-cooked veal, pancetta and porcini mushrooms. I'd go back just for these two dishes on their own. The portions are pretty large so we struggled with our last dish of wood-roasted turbot, Sicilian red peppers, rainbow chard and capers. To finish, our waiter surprised us with a little plate of chocolate truffles to top off an evening of great service. It's been named the best Italian restaurant in London and I'm inclined to agree: if you're looking for a high end yet relaxed place with truly excellent food, book your table now.
Theo Randall at The Intercontinental, 1 Hamilton Place, W1J 7QY
Read other restaurant features and London posts
