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Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Locanda Locatelli, which opened back in 2002, is named for its celeb chef (Giorgio) and his front-of-house wife (Plaxy). It’s technically a hotel restaurant but doesn’t feel like one: it has its own street entrance and is always busy, the tables taken by a well-dressed crowd. There are dark wood floors, but the linen tablecloths, fabric-covered walls (really), and tan leather seats successfully dampen any noise: it’s less clatter, more chatter. Best of all, rather than being elitist, it feels welcoming and accessible. This is a place where, when we asked how much to order, the genial staff reassured us, ‘There’s no tasting menu. Have as much or as little as you like. Have just a plate of pasta if you want.’
Pasta mains start at £17.50, wine kicks off at £28.50 a bottle, the huge bread basket is free, so are the exceptionally good petits fours. You can obviously spend a lot more, but the point is, you don’t have to.
Of course, if you don’t actually like pasta, you’re probably in the wrong spot. Other dishes are decent (we had a particularly memorable salad of samphire with breaded slices of calf’s foot), but the pasta is the star attraction. Don’t miss the veggie fagottini: pyramid-like parcels of borage (herbs) and ricotta, with a walnut sauce, plus fresh grated Parmesan. It’s the stuff of cheesy dreams.