It feels like its been a long time since we've been for our regular monthly Michelin-style meal. This is perhaps because we indulged greatly whilst on our road trip in May. So, I was very happy to get back on to that horse and head off this Saturday to the Wellesley in Knightsbridge for a spot of lunch. The restaurant was, as the name describes, oval. It was also sumptuously clad in leather wall covering and gilted in the art deco style. The chandelier in the centre of the room off-set the cream and gold décor beautifully; the perfect setting for a modern Italian meal.
We arrived and were offered a table for two or a larger table, we opted for the latter. I was quite surprised that there weren’t more people in there for lunch, but the lounge opposite was doing a roaring trade; as well as serving the a la carte menu, it also serves afternoon tea. We were at the Oval for the set menu and started with a glass of bubby Prosecco. As we have become accustomed to, we received a wonderfully still warm selection of breads and delightful hors d’oeuvres before our three courses. This involved the classic combination of mozzarella, pesto and sundried tomato on the olive oil crisp bread.
I followed this with the wonderfully fresh sounding garden pea soup with a mozzarella cream. This dish came out dressed delicately and fragrantly with flowers and the mozzarella cream, before the waiter topped with the soup. I was sadly too slow to snap the dish before the soup was poured in. The whole dish was sweet and fresh and the mozzarella cream, rich and slightly elastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it with the wonderful fresh breads we had to dip.
Gipsy Spread had the duck salad which was pulled from its bone and served in a balsamic dressing and raspberry sauce.
Mozzarella was clearly my ingredient of the day as I couldn’t resist the burrata mozzarella ravioli in a Norcia black truffle sauce. It came out as before presented beautifully, looking like a selection of scallop shaped pasta in a foamy sea. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, with the creamy and salty mozzarella oozing out when cut. It was rich, but also delicate and fragrant.
Gipsy Spread had the sea bass in a squid ink breadcrumb crust, something he had not come across before. His crumb was crisp and flavourful and the sea bass moist and meaty. We both thoroughly satisfied with our meals, but knew there was more to come.
I went for the light(ish) option of the artisanal ice creams and sorbets, whilst Gipsy Spread opted for the rich white chocolate mousse, which also came with ice cream. My dessert of chocolate and nutella ice cream was rich and creamy, whilst my lemon sorbet was sweet and tangy, the perfect palette cleanser. Gipsy Spread’s dessert was sweet and light and rich from the ice cream.
The final surprise was a selection of petit fours brought out to us in an old enabled cohiba box on a bed of chocolate chips. This was a wonderful bit of flair and offset the delicate little fancies inside to our joy. We both tried to sample all of them, passing them round left to right. Each was delightful and decadent; very much in keeping with our surroundings.
Suffice to say we had a fabulous meal and fancy coming back on a Friday or Saturday evening for some live jazz and the a la carte menu which includes pizza – this is an Italian restaurant after all. The service was fantastic, friendly and efficient and the décor glamorous and beguiling. It’s well worth a trip to the Wellesley Hotel to sample this hidden gem of a restaurant.
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