Murano

Murano opened in August 2008 in the heart of Mayfair, serving Italian food under the guidance of Angela Hartnett. Ms Hartnett’s career was shaped working for Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine and then with Marcus Wareing at Petrus, as well as with stints at Verre and The Connaught. It gained a Michelin star in 2009, which it has retained ever since. The head chef is George Ormond, former senior sous chef here since 2021 and who was not working tonight. The kitchen was headed by sous chef Henry Smith this evening. The dining room had nicely spaced tables and reasonably low noise levels. There was a 3-course dinner menu at £95 (four courses for £115) and a set 3 course lunch at £60.  

The wine list had 380 labels and ranged in price from £44 to £6,500, with a median price of £160 and an average markup to retail price of 3.7 times, high even by Mayfair standards. Sample references were Cantina Bolzano Alto Adige Pinot Grigio St Magdalena 2023 at £50 for a bottle that you can find in the high street for £17, Cantina Iuli Barbera del Monferrato Umberta 2022 at £62 compared to its retail price of £17, and Thomas Niedermayr Alto-Adige Solaris Amurasca 2021 at £95 for a wine that will set you back £20 in the high street. For those with the means there was Sine Qua Non Syrah Touche 2012 at £1,800 compared to its retail price of £875, and Tenuta dell’Ornellaia I.G.T. Toscana Masseto 2006 at £2,750 for a wine whose current market value is £1,234. The list was 52% Italian and 31% French, with a respectable 5% given over to English wines. Vina Tondonia 2011 was £160 here compared to £135 at The Ritz.

A canape was a tartlet of beetroot, with a pastry casing that was not quite crisp enough but with a filling of frozen cream cheese and beetroot that had plenty of beetroot flavour. An alternative was a crispy cracker with leek puree, black garlic puree and shallot, and this was better: the cracker was crips and the topping was bursting with flavour. There was also a plate of ham and home-made tomato focaccia as well as delicate grissini. Both breads were very good indeed (15/20 canapes).

I started with tagliatelle with roast ceps/porcini and 24-month aged Parmesan Reggiano. The pasta had excellent texture and the earthy mushroom flavour worked well with the richness of the cheese (15/20). Globe artichoke with anchovies, chicory and artichoke fritters was pleasant, the fritter being crisp and the bitterness of the chicory working well with the artichoke (14/20). Risotto puttanesca with black olives, capers and basil used carnaroli rice and vegetable stock. The green and red coloured stripes running through the risotto (the green from the basil) were pretty and above all the rice had excellent texture (15/20).

Venison from Aynhoe in Northamptonshire came with celeriac puree, cavolo nero, fig and black truffle. The venison was cooked pink and had plenty of flavour, the earthy celeriac and acidity of the fig were an excellent foil for the richness of the meat. There was a good quality sauce of the cooking juices poured at the table (15/20). Monkfish was carefully roasted and came with cauliflower, chicory and raisins. The cauliflower was a tad overcooked but the flavours went well together (14/20). 

Amalfi lemon tart was served in glorious isolation, with no unnecessary sauces, garnishes or distractions. The pastry was excellent and the deep lemon filling very precisely judged, not too sweet and not too sharp (16/20). Spiced rum savarin came with chestnuts and had a good blend of textures and flavour (15/20). Coffee was from Drury, a pretty ordinary supplier. It came with very good mandarin pate de fruit and a nice little hazelnut financier. 

Service was lovely, with an excellent Australian waitress serving us along with a very capable sommelier. The dish pacing was good and the staff were observant. The bill came to £250 per person with plenty of wine to drink. If you shared a modest bottle between two and ordered three courses then a typical cost per person might be around £150. I enjoyed this meal and will happily return.

Further reviews: 01st Aug 2008