The Franklin Restaurant

Found inside the boutique hotel of the same name, The Franklin is an Italian fine-dining restaurant with Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo’s name above the door.

The entire hotel, including the restaurant, was designed by Anouska Hempel (who is responsible for the dramatic black and gold interiors at South Kensington’s Blake’s), who has applied an aesthetic of muted luxury. The dining room is a chic mix of plush grey velvet chairs, a monochrome colour palette and Venetian églomisé mirrors that add a real sense of grandeur and glamour.

During the day, The Franklin is flooded with natural light thanks to large windows that overlook the hotel’s gardens, while come evening, soft lighting makes it a romantic spot, though be warned that this is not the place to dine if you are looking to discuss confidential matters – there are just 30 covers in the restaurant and you’re very much privy to other diners’ conversations.

The menu is a sophisticated mix of mostly Italian-inspired dishes and employs luxury ingredients with purpose, rather than having them on the plate just for show. Witness the four cheese potato gnocchi, which blends toma, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano and Taleggio to create perhaps the most creamy and utterly indulgent dumplings we’ve ever tasted. The kitchen’s flair is evident once again with an impeccably cooked veal dish which comes in a charcoaled crumb coating that adds a layer of smokiness.  

Occasionally, the kitchen is guilty of shrouding quality ingredients with too many elements, such as the poached black cod which is lost in the medley of tomatoes, olives and capers that accompany it. For the most part, though, The Franklin really gets upmarket modern dining right.

After desserts (baked cannoli, an all-Italian cheeseboard) we’d recommend a visit to The Franklin’s seductive bar, while if you prefer socialising earlier in the day, the restaurant is open from breakfast.  

The Franklin Restaurant is the fine dining experience found on the ground floor of the boutique Knightsbridge hotel with the same name. Helmed by Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo, its menu pays homage to his Italian heritage, serving up modern Piedmont cuisine. 

Interior wise, this restaurant is certainly somewhere that would suit an important occassion with sumptuous seating, stand-out lighting and a glamorous colour palette of rich, charcoal greys accented with metallic and mirrored accessories, inspired in part by Venetian style. Thanks to its capacity of only 30 diners, it has an intimate atmosphere which makes spending the evening here even more special.

The menu is split into traditional Italian-style courses starting with salads, soups and antipasti. Some examples to whet your appetite include wild sea trout ceviche with mango, citrus and chilli, and a slow-cooked rabbit terrine with roasted vegetables and rocket pesto. The wine list is also select, picking out bottles mostly from Italy and a few from France, to complement the menu. 

The primi selection is carefully curated so as not to overwhelm the diner while ensuring there is something for everyone. The homemade ricotta gnocchi with black truffle and aged Monte Veronese cheese foam, for example, makes for a beautiful vegetarian option, while the homemade spaghettoni with clams and bottarga leans into something more classic but still luxurious. If there's still room for secondi, dishes show the same attention to detail and adventurous spirit, with dishes at the time of writing including roast duck breast with bok choi, roasted grapes and pine nuts, and roasted ribeye with parsley root puree and yuzu kosho jus.

We'd recommend saving room for the impressively creative and indulgent desserts: there's a classic tiramisu, of course, as well as some more innovative ideas, like a dark chocolate pudding with edamame and wasabi, a pink grapefruit and rosemary sorbet, and a blueberry, mango and lemongrass pavlova.