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When was the last time you were truly speechless? It happens to me rarely, but believe me when I say that I left Al Mare – the flagship all-day-dining Italian restaurant at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge reeling.
Look, I hadn’t been to Knightsbridge for years, Okay? I wasn’t sure if Harrods was still there and I didn’t particularly care. The area is, I thought, a vacuous haven for property investors and their empty second homes. So why did I bother going in the first place? Al Mare (literally ‘to the sea’ in Italian) promised culinary theatre which would change the way I thought about Italian food. And Al Mare did not disappoint.
Here, your initials are stamped on the ice served in your cocktail (a classic Campari Americano to start). Skilled waiters arrive at your table with a trolley and quick hands as they seamlessly carve up your branzino al sale (a whole sea-salt-crusted wild sea bass served with crushed potato and salmoriglio). Head mixologist Enrico comes over, tells you to close your eyes and spritzes your final cocktail (a refreshing mix of gin, yuzu and grapefruit) with a basil infusion ‘made with the herbs from his family garden in Italy’.
My pal and I ate and drank almost everything on the menu. This was the most flavoursome classic Italian fare with the lightest possible touch – punchy but never stodgy and filling but never sickening.
My brain felt tricked, it felt excited and it wanted more
Our sommelier, the wildly knowledgeable Melody, recommended top-notch suggestions that were a journey across Italy from the south (a Sicillian solea chardonnay) to the north (an Alto Adige). Many of the flavour combinations were less expected – zingy ricciola al limone (thinly sliced yellowtail and lemon dressing), tartare di tonno (Mediterranean bluefin tuna, oscietra caviar and orange ponzu) and arancini di tono with jalapeños. Then there was the off-menu seared plum, tomato water and scallop risotto. It tasted and smelled like fresh-off-the vine tomatoes but it was cream-coloured. My brain felt tricked, it felt excited and it wanted more.
But, they shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Al Mare’s head chef Marco Calenzo (ex-Zuma executive chef) who brought the risotto to our table, explained his excitement and having an opportunity to experiment and bring his Italian heritage and recent professional past together.
French toast crème brûlée made with brioche accompanied with Italian dessert wine (Moscato d’Asti from Piemonte) finished us off and we were left convinced that the high-end dining on offer at Al Mare is not only for international plutocrats (though the prices may convince you otherwise. This is a destination for the financially secure). Many restaurants will claim to offer you a gastronomic experience. This one actually does. I’d even go back to Knightsbridge for this.
The vibe This is an ABC type of place. Reserved for special occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas.
The food Fancy Italian seafood full of pizzaz and luxury.
The drink Closing your eyes and inhaling the specially made essences is, I imagine, exactly the same as the experience of sitting in the herb garden at your nonna’s country house in Puglia on the summer solstice.
Time Out tip? Did I mention the plum-and-scallop risotto? The plum-and-scallop risotto.