Daroco

Once a temple to fashion, now a temple to pizza. Opening its doors in summer 2016, Italian restaurant Daroco has taken over a splendid former Jean-Paul Gaultier boutique, and the site hasn’t lost any of its modish glamour. Inside, high ceilings and mirrors reflect a shiny marble-decorated dining room with wicker chairs and a large central kitchen with an immense pizza oven, all overlooked by a mezzanine floor.

The waiting staff, all clad in stripes (a subtle homage to Gaultier), bustle round the large room with trays stacked with luscious antipasti and pizzas. The latter come with thick bases and indulgent toppings including fior di latte, pecorino cheese, spianata (smoked meat) and n’duja (spicy, spreadable salami). The accompanying wine selection is shrewdly curated, with the Fiero Igt Umbria 2014 Cantina Margo particularly standing out.

If you just fancy a drink, head to the cocktail bar at the end of the room, whose menu is curated by experienced head bartender Nico de Soto and served by staff from the Prescription Cocktail Club.

TRANSLATION: FLORA HUDSON