Quirinale ****
Quirinale gets consistently good reviews, but isn’t as well known as some of its London rivals. This is a shame. However, I went in the evening, so perhaps missed the lobbying crowd I expect fill the place at lunch in search of fine Italian food, bold red wines, truffles, and government contracts.
On seeing they had a truffle menu, our table all leapt at the opportunity. Quirinale are serious about their truffles. They shave it onto your food at the table, and allow you to choose the volume by the gram. Our waiter was generous and threw in some extra on the house.
For the mains, we tried the steak with asparagus puree, and the veal. The veal came as a generous escalope in breadcrumbs. It was remarkably light despite the portion. This helps explains the Quirinale approach to cooking. It is classical but unpretentious simple food done with confidence. At some rival Italians, the veal would drown in butter.
I’d be keen to return to sample their pasta, and to take advantage of some of set menus, which are supposedly remarkably good value.
Rating: 4/5
Website: http://www.quirinale.co.uk/
North Court
1 Great Peter Street
London
SW1P 3LL
020 7222 7080
