London has long had a fascination with film star Italian luxury. That Portofino sort of aesthetic where spaghetti is slurped up to the sound of jazz, Monica Bellucci stares at a martini and Gucci handbags are draped over fuzzy red velvet.
There is something about its almost gauche appeal. These restaurants are opulent and lavish and food doesn’t have to be their most discernible quality. The celebs are in? A phoned-in plate of Parma ham and strips of melon or a crab linguine that doesn’t propound much by way of culinary depth will do. Italian simplicity? You’re there for the glamour. Friends would travel by gondola if they could instead of the 25 minutes in an UberLUX.
