Maurizio Vilona’s new Mayfair restaurant is authentic to a fault. A real fault. The austere and slightly gloomy design of his new premises screams I-T-A-L-Y, in a bad way. You can have too much understatement. The oddly ‘foreign’ feel of this small and poorly-proportioned room – exacerbated on my visit by throbbing air conditioning – was so strong I almost didn’t want to stay.
But, just as all seemed hopeless, the good aspects of authenticity began to shine through. In particular, the service here – which is charming, and attentive, without in any way being obsequious or intrusive – must be among the best in town. When staff outnumber guests, as they did for part of my visit, there is a great tendency to overdo it, but they didn’t. The sommelier was of particular note, helping me unpick some of the mysteries from Italy’s great but elusive viniculture (and even suggesting glasses of wine towards the cheaper end of the list).
The food is perhaps not quite as good as the service, but still consistently interesting. Presentation – on the sort of ‘interesting’ plates that, in the wrong hands, can seem simply twee – is excellent. I end up paying £65 – including three interesting glasses of wine – for one of the best meals I’ve had for some time, and in fact one of the best-value too. Italian flair. Always wins you over in the end.
