Restaurants

Quirinale pulls off its basement location with impressive elegance, with subtle decor and attractive lighting. It’s a small space, giving the opportunity for intimacy which must suit the parliamentarians working a few minutes away, as well as the local businessmen and couples it attracts. Ordering from the seasonally changing, modern Italian menu posed a challenge: we wanted everything. Our choices proved a mixed bag: crab salad featured one of the best tomato sauces ever served in London, with pesto adding a contrast of flavours. Cold courgette soup, beautifully presented, was delicate and refined. But there was a certain lack of sparkle in asparagus tips served with a poached egg and beetroot. Roast rabbit stuffed with apricots and porcini mushrooms didn’t have the intensity you’d expect from such a bold assembly. A mixed salad with too many bland leaves (can someone please ban lollo rosso?), was spoiled by grittiness. Service was sweetly attentive, and the carefully chosen wine list reaps generous rewards if you can throw £35 to £40 at a single bottle. If Quirinale’s amply talented chef paid just a little more attention to detail, this restaurant could rank among the capital’s best Italians.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009