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Olivomare

10 Lower Belgrave Street, SW1W 0LJ Full details & map

Restaurant: Fish & seafood

Time Out says 5 Users say 4/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Oct 27 2011

Gleaming white and uncompromisingly stark, save for a pop of colour from fresh flowers at the bar, Olivomare is intriguing. Lurking beneath its slick façade is a traditional Sardinian seafood restaurant - one of a clutch of Belgravia dining establishments from Italian owner Mauro Sanno, each with a strong reputation. The upmarket prices are indicative of the address and the provenance of ingredients, rather than the complexity of the well-considered menu.

Authentic seafood, fish and pasta dishes are fuss-free, employing fresh, high-quality produce, true to the motherland's rustic roots. The likes of salty spaghetti bottarga (cured grey mullet roe), paper-thin carasau bread and the sherry-like Vernaccia di Oristano house aperitif fly the Sardinian flag. Red mullet ravioli was subtly sweetened with roasted peppers, but the pasta itself was over-resistant to the bite. Chargrilled cuttlefish, a single slab in black ink dressing, lingering and powerful, was heavier-going than anticipated.

At times, the staff's coolness verged on the haughty, which marred the experience, as did the squeezed-in tables within ready eavesdropping distance of each other. Olivomare is a small restaurant with ambition, let down by its slightly brittle atmosphere.

Tags: Fish & seafood, Business, Hip factor, Romance, Wow factor, Central, Belgravia, Expensive, Restaurant

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Olivomare details

Address

Olivomare

10 Lower Belgrave Street SW1W 0LJ

Transport Victoria tube/rail

Telephone

020 7730 9022

Olivomare website

Lunch served noon-2.30pm Mon-Fri; noon-3pm Sat, Sun. Dinner served 7-11pm Mon-Sat; 7-10.30pm Sun

Main courses £19.50-£22

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Tables outdoors ( 4, terrace ), Babies and children admitted, Booking advisable, Disabled ( toilet )

Olivomare map

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Comments & ratings 4/5 (Average of 5 ratings)

By Andy - Nov 3 2011

5/5

Very much disagree with the review. I have been here a number of times and it is, in my opinion, the best Italian in London. The food is fresh, authentic and unpretentious, just what Italian food is all about.

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By GPD - Nov 1 2011

5/5

Fantastic! Ultra fresh seafood, great sardianian wines, not a rip off given location. Jammed full of italians, which must say something

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By JL - Jul 29 2011

5/5

Ignore the review below. This place is brilliant (and my guests agreed). The Spaghetti Bottarga is especially good.

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By Foodie100 - Jun 2 2011

2/5

Sat outside on a beautiful London evening, sipping a lovely prosecco... the staff were friendly, perfect I thought! That's where the two stars came in. The food however was terrible. The fish tartar - just tasted of onions, and my pasta just tasted of full on garlic; My companions dish tasted of nothing!! (maybe that is because my taste buds had been killed by the onion and garlic?? - but then again he was also very disappointed).