My aunt, my sister and I caught up over dinner at Il Baretto
on Friday night. This was my second visit to Il Baretto and it was even better
than I remembered it to be. The place was busy and extremely well-kept
considering the fact that it has been around since 2009! The décor is
relatively minimalist and simple which is surprising, as it is owned by Arjun
Waney – the man behind some of London's glitzy establishments such as Zuma and Coya.
Il Baretto is a classic Italian restaurant and judging by
its success over the years, people keep going back for more. The hostesses were
rushed off their feet and they even had to turn hungry diners away at the door.
I was concerned that the service would be poor as everyone seemed to be so busy,
but I was glad to be proven wrong.
We had to wait for our table for a few minutes, so the bartender
entertained us by whipping up a passion fruit martini – my aunt’s new drink of
choice. I went for the usual – a fruity Sauvignon Blanc which was perfect for
the summery Friday evening.
We were presented with a terribly vast menu and it took us
a while to decide what to order. I’m always concerned when a menu offers too
much; the saying weighs true, “quality and not quantity.” But once again, I was
proven wrong. The food was excellent and I’m excited to visit again to try out
some of the other options; pizza, pasta, risotto, sea bass, sea bream, tuna, halibut, chicken, lamb, veal...Did I mention it was a vast menu?
.JPG)
For our starter, we made a panicked decision – the Bruschetta
with Tomato. In hindsight, we should have gone for something a little more adventurous.
The Bruschetta was pretty average. The bread was overly toasted and too oily
but the starter still tasted good as a whole.
For my mains, my sister and I chose the Beef Fillet with Red
Wine Jus, Spinach and Black Truffle. Red Wine Jus is my absolute favourite accompaniment
with a steak. The dish was delightful and we ordered some Italian Chips to go
with it.
My aunt ordered something more typically Italian – the Ricotta
and Spinach Tortelli with Sage, Butter and Parmesan. I managed to nab a few
bites! The Tortelli was al dente and the Ricotta and Spinach filling was creamy
and smooth – perfection on a plate!
We finished with the Milk Chocolate Fondant with Blood
Orange Sorbet. It was heavenly! The sweet and fruity sorbet complimented the
milky dessert really well and the presentation was beautiful. The meal
definitely ended on a high.
Il Baretto is a fairly casual venue but the atmosphere, the
crowd and the excellent quality of the food make it an especially enjoyable and
classy evening out.
Rating: 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment