Situated in a discreetly upmarket street a short walk from St John’s Wood and the legendary Abbey Road, Vineria soon announces itself as a seriously classy destination. Part of a small Italian group, this restaurant is their first outside Italy, and can easily stand comparison with anything else in the UK at the moment. It’s not often that you can go to a restaurant and have your expectations massively exceeded, but the quality and intelligence of the cooking here are guaranteed to do so.
The a la carte menu is short, sensibly chosen, and features superbly cooked and well prepared food. You might start off with a perfect aubergine dish with buffalo mozzarella and basil and tomato sauce or sardines stuffed with anchovies and breadcrumbs, and then follow this with a rich, gutsy pasta dish of tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and black truffle shavings – a pasta dish as good as I’ve had anywhere. If you’ve got room, the main courses of medallions of venison with berries sauce and chestnut-stuffed guinea fowl are both splendid, and a dessert of chocolate mousse with lavender sauce would do credit to any Michelin-starred restaurant. (There’s also a popular Sunday brunch, which features such delights as scrambled eggs with black truffles on toasted bread.)
As you’d expect from a restaurant that has as its motto ‘Vinum Et Cetera’ the wine list is suitably lavish, with everything from sensible, decently priced bottles up to some set-piece Barolos and Barbarescos. There’s also the option to take away wine from the on-site shop, which is a haven for Italian aficionados.
The next time you’re thinking about going to an Italian restaurant, think beyond the West End. You will not be disappointed.
1 Blenheim Terrace, London NW8 www.vineria.it
