Our pro says...

“Wow, what a lovely view,” is where we started this little eating adventure outside on the terrace on one of those perfect summer London evenings. While reading the menu we ordered a carafe each from the wine list – a Barbera Piemonte from the reds and a Gavi del Comune di Gavi from the whites.

The menu is a classic Italian choice of snacks, antipasti, pasta, pizza, secondi and dessert. A starter of crispy panelle (chickpea fritter), lardo, smoked duck breast and whipped anchovy sounded lovely but lacked interest in terms of flavour and texture. The ’nduja and burrata pizza was a tasty enough carb alternative to the pasta. Saddle of lamb was a perfectly pleasant option for those who believe that carbs are evil – decent but not mind-blowing.

We ordered two pasta dishes we were familiar with from visits to Bancone: the simple but classic bucatini cacio e pepe – a thick spaghetti-style pasta drenched in parmesan, a tonne of crushed black pepper and butter; and the Instagram-famous silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit Burford Brown yolk. Both hit the mark. The fresh handmade pasta was perfectly al dente and both dishes were rich yet also deliciously light at the same time.

We finished by selecting the polenta skillet cake to share from a dessert menu that includes tiramisu, ice creams, sorbets and a list of ‘liquid desserts’, which loosely translates to boozy dessertstyle cocktails. The skillet cake is made for two to share, takes 15 minutes to make and the light cake consistency and rich cherry compote topping gently tipped us over the edge into a full-blown food coma.