Adrian Tearle

Review of Ristorante all'oro

Mrs T and I had a great evening at Ristorante All'...

Mrs T and I had a great evening at Ristorante All'Oro. We had the nine course menu L'Oro di All'Oro, a couple of bottles of water, a bottle of wine and a couple of coffees. The two and a half hours we spent there flew by...

The standout, perfect dishes were the salami served 2 ways (ball and shot of jus), bruschetta, Caesar salad, scallops (served with a spek foam and potato gratin), carbonara reduction (presented in an egg shell, sans pasta), the ravioli with duck ragu, pudding packets (mangetout) and the sweet tiramisu; these were all fantastic and all left you wanting more. Everything else was very enjoyable, albeit a couple of the dishes were a little flat in comparison; the quails egg with veal looked amazing but was light on flavour. The tortelloni with dry broth were frankly best forgotten (despite being passionately discussed by the waiters); ironically they may prove to be the most memorable element. They were served with a rich cheesy white sauce, but filled with a thin liquid that mainly tasted of saffron and washed the white sauce away; plus, if you're lips weren't firmly sealed shut before you bit into them you were prone to coat yourself or companion with the contents. Memorable, but in an opposing way to, say, the scallops (which really were divine).

Waiting staff were friendly and attentive (if a little keen to clear empty plates) and flattered us by avoiding any potentially awkward conversation on what wine we wanted to choose (really this should read "afford," as they were 70 and upwards) by gaging our reaction to their suggestions. The bill of 400 (not including a 40 tip) was predominantly fair, albeit the high starting point for the wine pricing seems inexcusable.

This was an evening of imaginative, skillful, delicious and novel dishes; we would visit again given the opportunity, but next time perhaps go for the 6 courses or choose your own 4 course options (now we know what to expect)...