LOTI EATS | EMILIA

The team behind Clipstone, Portland and Quality Chop House have done it again with their latest opening, Emilia, as it’s an absolute winner. Inspired by the Emilia-Romagna region of the country, the restaurant has taken over the space where Bonhams Restaurant used to be inside the famous Mayfair auction house.

Emilia is split into a ground floor cafe and wine bar, with courtyard seating outside and an upstairs restaurant, with Stuart Andrew (current head chef at Clipstone) heading up the kitchen. We were pretty blown away by our meal here and we reckon this has got to be some of the best Italian food available in London at the moment.

We began with some of the best burrata we’ve ever had; so rich and creamy and served with some sweet slices of white peach, it was a pretty perfect dish. Another winner from the antipasti was the neat squares of cured mackerel, with each one placed on a slice of fresh chilli and garlic.

Emilia

As we nearly always do at Italian restaurants, we went light on the first courses, sharing an excellent tuna carpaccio, and ignored the main courses altogether (they did sound good though) in favour of eating lots and lots of pasta. We got small servings of three of the four on offer: a beautiful fresh tagliatelle with big chunks of rabbit, all coated in a rosemary and roasted garlic sauce; two giant ravioli stuffed with walnuts, ricotta and tomatoes; and best of all, the parpadelle and venison ragu, which we’ve been dreaming about ever since.

If you’re into your vino you have the choice of two wine lists; the one on the menu, which features wines by the glass and bottle, with selection from the Italian peninsula and beyond, and The Auction List, which is a selection of special bottles sourced with the help of Richard Harvey, Master of Wine and Head of Bonhams Wine Department. So maybe save that second list for a proper big occasion (or the company credit card – we’re telling no one).

If you like your Italian food, Emilia deserves to be right at the top of your restaurant hit list.

7 Haunch of Venison Yard, London W1K 5ES
emiliarestaurant.co.uk

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