2 Veneti

Devoid of cynicism & intended to please, Simon Piovesan’s ‘clubby’ & extremely elegant Venetian restaurant has more focus than many, but avoids feeling stiff. The interior keeps it simple, with bare brick & little archways dividing the two dining rooms, & the menu is equally easy to navigate. Burrata, the cheese on everyone’s lips, comes in filo pastry with a leguminous salad, or try ‘sarde in soar’ (sweet & sour sardines with a rich collation of white onions, pine nuts & sultanas on grilled polenta). Readers have also drooled over the ‘outstanding’ seafood risotto, veal ravioli with rosemary butter sauce & generous helpings of perfectly cooked calf’s liver in Marsala & shallot sauce. Service is ‘memorable, attentive & lots of fun’, & the attractively priced, regional Italian wine list also gets a cheer.