L'Amorosa

Head chef Andy Needham has been operating L’Amorosa in Ravenscourt Park since September 2014. Andy was previously the long-standing head chef at Zafferano when it had a Michelin star. Here he produces a rather simpler menu, but with the same skill and many of the same suppliers that he used to use in the fancier Belgravia location of Zafferano. The restaurant is over two floors, with a small section up a flight of stairs and above the kitchen.

The all Italian wine list had no vintages listed but 23 labels that ranged in price from £23 to £460, with a median price of £44. Sample references were Fileno Grillo Vina Bianchi at £40 for a bottle that you can find in the high street for £12, Chianti Castello di Farnetella Colli Senesi at £48 compared to its retail price of £13, and Amarone della Valpollicella Cavolo at £90 for a wine that will set you back £53 in the high street.

Tonight I started with agnolotti (Piedmontese pasta parcels) with beef ragu.  The beef cheek had been braised for seven hours with guanaciale and Chianti, and had a very deep, intense flavour (easily 14/20).  My wife enjoyed her seared yellowfin tuna with Sicilian aubergine caponata and confit vine tomato. The tuna was just lightly seared and the aubergine had good flavour (14/20). I can rarely resist the saffron risotto here, made with excellent stock and high-quality rice with just a touch of fragrant saffron. The texture of the risotto is gorgeous, and up there with the best in London (15/20).

The bill came to £48 per person, and the service was as friendly as ever. If you had three courses and shared a modest bottle of wine then a typical cost per person might be around £55. L’Amorosa feels like a simple neighbourhood restaurant but the cooking here is genuinely classy. It has become one of my most regular haunts, and outperforms almost all London Italian restaurants despite its modest price point.

Further reviews: 11th Jul 2024 | 21st Oct 2023 | 15th Oct 2022 | 04th May 2019 | 05th Aug 2014