Tinello

Portions were too small. Calamari and mussels arrived cool. Good wine reasonably priced.

I went to Tinello last night and thought that the overall product was excellent. I was a bit nervous as they only had space downstairs and often the ‘second’ room can be a bit of a Gobi desert. This is far from the case – the down stair, with its open fire, has a intimate, cosy, private-dning feel.

The tastes and textures of the food was cracking, except my pasta starter was a little too al dente for my liking. My main of kidneys and polenta really hit the spot (could have had another kidney though) and the combo of the kidney jus in the runny polenta was a perfect taste sensation for February. It even persuaded my polenta-phobic male guest to look differently at this staple. The armganc tart was good but not amazing but I'm a starter/main man rather than main/pudding so no problem here.

I love the fact that you can BYO one bottle of wine with a cockage of £15 – it meant I could take a cracking bottle for my guest from my cellar. The waiter took my bottle without turning his nose up and event said what a good choice I had.

We went as a four and it was a superb settling for putting the world to right over top Italian food and wine.

I stumbled upon Tinello as I was searching for a dinner with my father. It is good place for a good dinner but… I must say that it had some good points as well as worse ones. On the positive would definitely be the interior, which very well shows the classic italian cuisine with a modern twist. The service, however, left some room for improvement as we were left waiting for way over 20 minutes before a waiter turned up to get our first order. I suppose that this happens quite often as they do provide you witha big bread basket with good, pickled vegetables and olive oil. As for the food, it must be said that you cannot ask for more. It is classic with a modern twist. I had the apetizer platter which was rich and full of flavour for the entree i had the hare ragu pasta which i must say had some room for improvent as the taste was quite bland. For dessert, I had the ice cream which were simply flawless. I cannot say so about the dessert my father had. It was a spin off from a lemon meringue which I was expecting to be a crisp, light flavour. I was prooven quite the opposite as it was suprisingly heavy and rich. As for the value for money, it is within reason, however, dangerously close to being too much. Overall, a pleasant expierience if classic Italian with a modern twist floats your boat but perhaps not the best choice in the whole city.

I've always liked Giorgio Locatelli. Not for his tousle haired good looks or even for his cooking. No, I have fond memories of dinner at his place with Gwyneth Paltrow. Well, she was at the next table but, if my mate Bob can claim to have slept with Eva Herzigova as he was in the next seat to her on a night flight, then I've had dinner with Gwyneth.

Alas, no Gwyneth or Eva here when we went, but given how dark the room is, it is possible that they were hiding in a corner somewhere and I didn’t spot them. Whilst not what you’d call gloomy, the room is really dark, so that reading the menu can be a bit of a challenge. So too it seems is the concept of a gin and tonic – the gin was brought swiftly enough, but the tonic not.

Through the dark you can see a longish room with tables down either side, together with a few scattered along between, all taken. We were sat in one of the middle tables and, as there were three of us, we spread out around it so that we could all talk to each other easily. This was not appreciated by the disdainful head honcho, and we were asked to move in more so that the waiters could get past us. What? Why have the middle tables if they don’t fit? Yes, get the covers through, but then don’t force people to be uncomfortable in their seating. Put three people on a four person table, or lose the table that doesn’t fit. Don’t make people feel awkward when all they want to do is sit, chat and eat.

That said, the actual service is generally pretty good; friendly, helpful and not obtrusive. We may have had a 7.30 booking, but there was no hint of being rushed out the door to allow the next sitting to get through.

As one of our number had chosen the risotto as a first course, we were told that there would be a twenty minute wait. A good sign, and a chance to take in something deep fried: some squid and some lovely prawns, crunchy with a soft centre. A very good start.

The risotto too went down well, as did the hare ragu (on “homemade” pasta ribbons; what, as opposed to being made in the kitchen at the restaurant? Did one of the staff bring them in, hand rolled by mama?), which was a rich, slow cooked delight. The only slight letdown was the pumpkin ravioli: nice enough, but a bit watery, and nowhere near the standard of the beautiful such dish I had a few weeks ago at Massimo. OK, that one was five times the price, due to the tiny sliver of truffle atop it, but the richness of the pumpkin was somehow lacking here. Not five times lacking mind.

Mains too were splendid – my brace of spatchcocked quails was terrific, with some very nice cabbage and pancetta. And some fried courgette, as one course of fried just wasn’t enough. The veal kidney and the venison were also top notch, again, the kidney fairly rich and maybe too rich to follow the hare, but a lovely dish nonetheless.

The wine list is a serious march through the best Italy has to offer, at all price points, with many good examples at the lower reaches, as well as the trophy wines for the expense account brigade to brag about.

All in all, a really nice place: fine service, lovely food and a pleasant atmosphere. Just the sort of relaxed place that Italy does so well; if only the head guy could relax a bit too, it would be even better.

As a massive fan of Mr Locatelli I was disappointed. I used to be a regular at the venue before the change of management and was really looking forward to it being even better. I think they've done a great job on the decoration but a combination of surly service and sloppy seasoning damaged an otherwise enjoyable Saturday evening. Previously the restaurant was always packed now on Halloween Saturday it was only half full.

Is the food good? yes
Is the service good ? yes
Is the wine List good? well it s actually excellent
Would i Go back to Il Tinello? no

Dinner for 3 was 200 quid, for that money you d expect a different experience. The problem with Il Tinello is that it tries to be two restaurant in one (high end + informal/innovative italian eaterie) however it fails them both

I mean for £200 i could have much better Italian meals at other high end restaurants in London (from Angela hartnett Il Murano, to Bocca Di Lupo in Soho)…whereas if was looking for an informal and funny “trattoria style” experience this place doenst even come close to venues like Polpo (where a similar bill would have probably been not over the 100 quid mark)

So in conclusion; i see a lot of 10s on the reviews below and wonder how the plae it s actually judged!
i mean, dont get me wrong, you do get a good dining experience… but the restaurant is neither the buzzy friendly affordable local italian or one amongst the best 5 high-end italian in London

I have been there a couple of time already.The restaurant is amazing i must say!Really good food especially the small eats.The service was amazing.Julia suggested us some dishes which were delicious like turbot or the pappardele.She offers the perfect and attentive service you want.
Overall the experience in Tinello is excellent.Good value for money. Cannot wait to come back.
James

What an amazing restaurant in every aspect. Top notch Italian food beautifully executed, simple yet delicious. My wife had the pappadelle with duck ragut, which was basically the nicest meat pasta dish we have ever tasted. This came after a trio of shared small plates, all of which were great and we would happily have had as a main course. There were many other items on the list we wanted to try. I had the pasta special which involved a sauce made from a type of sausage that melts during cooking, finished with a runny pool of burrata on the top. Incredible! We had to try the desserts so shared the apple cake, which again was delicious with rum and raising ice cream. All topped off with a stunning bottle of Barolo from 1996, which was rather special. The service was fantastic, with Giulia really looking after us with attentive, friendly but not over the top service- explaining all the dishes and taking a real pride in what the chefs were creating. I would say the food is even better than at Locanda Locatelli in town, in a much more relaxed environment. And at these prices, it is that rare thing in London of being great value of money, especially if you resist the Barolo (which we could not). I recommend everyone visit Tinello asap…

I was excited to go to Tinello for the first time, but found it to be one of the most over-hyped restaurants that I have been to in a long time. In short, the restaurant is “fine” not great. I am shocked that it is rated in the same category as The River Cafe or Zafferano, not to mention a litany of non-Italian restaurants…it simply doesn't deserve its accolades (and certainly not its two star restaurants).

Having read the recent reviews, I arrived at Tinello with high expectations. Whilst I agree the restaurant possesses all the key components of a mid-to-top end eatery – lively atmosphere, stylish tables, classic food on elegant plates – there was a complete inability to string these together into a first rate offering. The service was painfully lacklustre and often failed on the basics, indeed after nearly 1 hour there was still no sign of our starter. I am pleased to say the food was more positive, the small eats were delightful and well balanced, the pasta was exceptional, although the secondi piatti failed to deliver across all of our party of 4. The desserts were very solid and provided a high end to a rather substandard night. Unfortunately, Tinello still has much work to do so be prepared for inconsistent expereince.

We ate here recently for my boyfriends birthday and I cannot fault anything, the entire experience from the moment we walked in the door was just perfect. The food was incredible, the wine was excellent, and the staff were out of this world (incredibly attentive, polite and discreet, and most importantly they knew exactly what they were talking about when we asked any questions about the food and wine).

If you like Italian food then this is a must! Perfect.

Four of us went to lunch there today.
This restaurant has it all for me, it is a small neighbourhood Italian where the cooking is excellent almost beyond belief.

The brilliant head waiter is clearly deeply involved and wonderfully calm, just watching him operate it is clear that his cmmittment to well being of the customers and the food is total, this without his being intrusive in any way whatsoever. He gives the impression of being outwardly laid back but to do the job that he does it cannot be so.

To understand please imagine being in the hands of the greatest butler in the world, he understands everything, knows how everything works and is in total control without appearing to be so, a sort of uber Jeeves who glides around the room always shadowed by a waiter to take care of any immediate need or perceived defficiency. I had not realised that there were such people left in Britain. What a safe pair of hands. Clearly the owners of this superb ‘neighbourhood’ are going to make a fortune.

Now to the food.

There were four of us and we ate as follows:

A small tub of hot Zucchine straws to go with the bread and olive oil to start with,it was really well done. There was a very good selection of bread and what appeared to be house made grissini sticks.
Antipasto della Casa, this included, amongst other items, a hot chicken liver pate on oiled and baked bread, not only delicious but at seven pounds fifty great value.
A ravioli floating in the most delious cream. Two people had risotto and one stripsof pasta with what tasted like desicated and marinated ox-tail, on the bill it says: 1 Pappa Rag Brs MC SP £11.50.

Following this we had very good expresso and one of our party had green tea.

With the addition of two bottles of Belu water the bill for four came to £80 and change – with service at my discretion.

That we did not drink wine did not phase them at all and when we left we were all discussing when it would be possible to return.

This restaurant is awesome in as much as they serve up to date food at affordable prices. The decor and ambience smell of money and despite the fact that it is decorated for night-time business this is one of the few restaurants that really wants to deliver and succeeds in doing so.

My score is ten out of ten, something I have never done before and probably will never be able to do again.

My only slight concern is that Tinello may, given time, seduce me away from La Poule au Pot and it will become my new local cafe.

Pure magic!

Around a month after new local restaurant Tinello opened we decided to check it out. Having passed by on many occasions and always seen the restaurant fully booked (and also on few occasions failed to get a booking for the evening) we expected good things from a site that has seen it change hands a few times from L’Incontro to Mauro and back.

Without a booking and at around 9pm we chanced our luck and walked in. Staff were friendly and within a few moments we were shown downstairs to a large round table with a view (if you are stood!) of the kitchens. We didn’t even know the venue had a downstairs, what a nice surprise. It’s less noisy and atmospheric than upstairs but nicer for a quiet evening meal.

We both opted to share some of their smaller plates to start, ordering a mixture of fried Zucchini, buratta, the special of polenta and wild mushrooms and some Italian ham. All the dishes were tasty and at very good value considering the size of some of them. For my main I had the aubergine and warm smoked cheese salad which was one of the best in London I have had. The smoked cheese flavoured the whole dish perfectly and I couldn’t have been more pleased with my choice. My companion had the lamb dish which too looked good and I am assured tasted the same.

Our waiter (a charming young man who hailed from Sardinia) recommended a Sardinian wine to accompany our meal which was also very nice. From our table we could see the impressive wine cellars and already look forward to sampling some other bottles.

After our meal Manuel, the proprietor of Tinello came and spoke with us and explained the concept of the restaurant and recommended other dishes for our next visit. He also claims to have the best coffee, something which we will discover on our next visit.

Dishes are fairly priced which is a huge plus for Tinello, that and the friendly on-the -ball staff thrown together with great Italian food makes Tinello a winning local restaurant. We will definitely be returning!

My husband and I ate here only 3 days after it opened. You know how you just want a restaurant to do well because the staff are so helpful and dedicated you can tell they want it to do well too? Well this is the place. We are great fans of the food of Locanda Locatelli (not the room mind you which I hate, just the food ) so when we heard that this place was being sponsored by the Locatelli's and involved old staff we booked immediately. We were not diappointed. Whilst the menu is limited it offers some lovely options. The small eats , a sort of Italian tapas was excellent-, and in particular, the string fried zuccinni . The main course of seabass in a celeriac mash looked rather plain but tasted sublime. For dessert I had Tiramisu and my husband had cheese. Again perfect. . Coffee folowed with lovely little Tuscan beignets. Lovely and all for about 120 quid with wine and 2 glassses of champagne. Will definately come back if I can get in.

Tinello has only been open for a week…but what a great place…they have created a stunning environment with excellent staff and the menu while not extensive is very well balanced. The wine list is imaginative and really hits the button. While the food was exceptional the pricing certainly was not…it was very keenly priced and that includes the wine. Congratulations to all involved…I am sure Como Lario will be extremely worried about this competition, unfortunately they come a very poor second to Tinello.

Loved the menu and the feel of this place. This was delicious “rustic Italian food”. Whatever lengths they've gone to to get the best ingredients, it works. We went with Max's recommendation for antipasti, and then chose the rest. All v good. Atmosphere – intimate as well as smart, formal. Loved it.