The smart little Italian restaurant Tinello is just a couple of minutes walk from Sloane Square and by jove it’s good. Arriving to a near empty restaurant early evening it took but an hour before it was buzzing with local Slone-y types, ex-pat Italians and regulars who were greeted by name, embraced, and shown to their favourite table. If we lived locally, we’d be on first name terms with the entire staff.
In the interests of thoroughness and in no way related to greed, we went the whole hog and ordered antipasti, pasta, main and dessert. The mixed antipasti (£8) were all sublime: chicken liver crostini (the chef’s family recipe, of course), shoestring courgette fritters, pecorino cheese and a selection of hams and salamis all hit the spot. This was followed by tubular pasta with tomato sauce, a touch of chilli and gorgeous creamy burrata (£10); grilled swordfish steaks with tomato, rocket and avocado (£21); and a perfect pannacotta with a topping of stewed peaches (£5.50). YUM. It was Italian cooking at its best: simple, fresh ingredients cooked to perfection.
Tinello completely won us over and is well worth seeking out, even though the prices are a little on the Sloane Square side of the scale. Italian food may not be the most fashionable cuisine right now but, when it’s done this well, it’s pretty hard to beat.
Tinello, 87 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8PH
www.tinello.co.uk