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Il Convivio (∗)

Address:143 Ebury Street SW1W 9QN
Tel:020 7730 4099
Email:
Website: Visit Il Convivio website
Price: £52.00 Wine: £13.50 Champagne: £39.90
Opening Hours:Mon-Sat 12N-2.45pm 7-10.45pm

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In an area not short of Italian restaurants, Il Convivio is many people’s pick of the bunch. The dining room puts on a suitably convivial face thanks to tasteful red & gold colour schemes, while the bright conservatory room at the back is an all-year suntrap with its retractable roof. Both make suitably relaxed settings for ‘immaculate’ Italian food, which has a light, modern touch & a bias towards seasonal ingredients. The well-thought-out menu changes regularly, but black spaghetti with lobster & spring onion is a standout dish; also try the fillet of sea bass with shellfish broth, & make sure to leave room for the bergamot & almond tartlet or the fantastic selection of organic Italian cheeses. Service is unobtrusively efficient, but Il Convivio’s trump card is its reasonable prices – a rarity in this grand part of town. In short, ‘fantastic food at the right price’.

Wine List: Il Convivio’s list is an expertly selected mid-sized all-Italian affair. It kicks off with a decent range by the glass, & the absence of half bottles means you will need to concentrate on these to match food & wine successfully. Bottles are presented by grape variety, giving an idea of each wine’s style but, perversely, regional information is missing; so unless you’re a real buff, you will have no idea whether the Merlot you are ordering is from Sicily or the north. Best Buy White 2007 Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella, Alto Adige, Italy, £27.50. Best Buy Red 2004 Grotta Rossa, Santadi, Carignano del Sulcis, Sardinia, £31.50.

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Reader reviews of Il Convivio:

Carl Johan
Gold Reviewer

Carl Johan (20s, Male, United Kingdom)

I must admit that I have a bit of a negative bias to Italian restaurants after a few too many of them trying so hard and charging even harder. After all, the Italian cuisine is rarely overly complicated, right?!

Anyway, I had a pleasant experience at Il Convivio. I would have preferred to sit further in the restaurant, under the skylights, but it wasn't bad in the section before. The food was well presented and definitely delivered. I had a carpaccio for starter and a crab linguine as main. Apart from the pasta being a bit less warm than I would expect, it was very tasteful. I do react to paying almost 20 pounds for a dish that I probably could do quite well myself (wouldn't bet on it, but still). Finally, the service left nothing to complain about, very discreet and the sommelier was very quick to react to the unfortunate corked bottle of wine we nearly were served.

All in all, nice place, but I think I prefer other Italians to this one.

5 March 2009
Overall:6
Food and Drink:7
Service:7
Atmosphere:5
Value for Money:4
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