Nestled alongside Bonhams auction house, this long-standing Italian is proud to be ‘old-fashioned’, & it looks lovely – a charming white townhouse complete with jaunty blue awnings &
foliage-covered trellises, harbouring a leafy conservatory dining room with marble floors & walls covered in photos of screen sirens. Sadly, the food sometimes fails to dazzle, & the
line-up of beef carpaccio, veal escalope, spaghetti vongole & the like has been deemed ‘boring’ by some more worldly readers – although specials such as veal tagliata with wild mushrooms,
linguine with crab & leeks, or monkfish with sun-dried tomatoes sound more frisky. Prices are steep, even for Knightsbridge (deep-fried calamari is a jaw-dropping £20.50), although the
clientele – wealthy Russian businessmen & glamorous jet-set families – don’t seem to mind. Others should stay with the more affordable set menus.