Review: Moreno at Baglioni
Situated on the ground floor of Baglioni Hotel London facing Kensington Gardens, the very recently opened Moreno at Baglioni is a luxurious, sumptuous restaurant, finished off perfectly with comfortable grey and gold armchairs.
Despite the fact that Moreno has only been opened for a number of weeks, service wise, it feels like it has been there a lifetime. From the moment I stepped through the door (which was held open for me) I felt like the only thing that mattered to the staff was that I had the perfect lunch experience.
Led by the 2 Michelin-starred Italian Chef, Moreno Cedroni, the menu brings an avant-garde spirit to Italian cuisine by incorporating contemporary techniques and having a strong emphasis on fish.
Checking their website before I went along for lunch I read "Many of the ingredients used are delivered fresh from Italy, conserving their original fragrances and flavours." That is something that is noticeable from the off.
Sitting very comfortably at a window seat, with a view of Hyde Park, straight away water is poured and food and wine menus are brought over.
Choosing from the food menu is easy, it all sounds delicious. You could close your eyes and pick something and be more than happy with what is brought to your table.
To start: Veal on the left and parmasan pasta on the right
The wine list on the other hand is ever so slightly daunting. As someone who enjoys wine but is by no means a connoisseur, the wine list which is comprised of approximately 500 labels is really quite scary. Luckily the charming waiter offers to choose a wine that will compliment my meal- panic over.
To start I choose the slow cooked veal served with sweet and sour couscous and a raspberry ginger sauce. The dish arrived at my table and looked truly beautiful, incredibly colourful- it could brighten the dullest of days.
Main: Seabass on the right, Fusilli Verrigni right
The sweet and sour flavour really stands out and compliments the veal greatly. The raspberry and ginger sauce was tangy and sweet. The whole dish was incredibly light- simply put it was a winning combination and an excellent starter, which I would be hard pushed to not go for again.
For the main I went for the fusilli "verrigni" with clams, calamari, prawns and tomatoes served with a green pepper sauce. Again the presentation was beautiful, and once again the same goes for the taste. Seafood is one of my favourites, and seafood done well is unbeatable.
Dessert: Tiramisu left, Crispy celeriac with mozzarella and chocolate icecream
The prawns, calamari and clams were full of flavour, to the extent they could have been caught fresh that day. And the green pepper sauce added a new dimension to the flavour, making it stand out from other similar fish dishes.
I finished lunch with a delicious Tiramisu. The taste of coffee was very much there but far from overpowering which I loved as many Tiramisu can be quite heavy. If I had to nit-pick I would have liked a fork and spoon to eat this dish as I did find myself chasing it around the bowl a few times- but that really is the only fault I could find.
It's the little things like the amuse bouche between the courses, the more than attentive staff and the elegant setting that make dinning here feel all the more luxurious, which is made even better when the pricing is more than reasonable. Be it for a working lunch or for a lady that lunches, Moreno offers everything you could possibly want.
020 7368 5700
www.baglionihotels.com/en/destinations/london/baglioni-hotel/restaurant/moreno-at-baglioni-restaurant
Despite the fact that Moreno has only been opened for a number of weeks, service wise, it feels like it has been there a lifetime. From the moment I stepped through the door (which was held open for me) I felt like the only thing that mattered to the staff was that I had the perfect lunch experience.
Led by the 2 Michelin-starred Italian Chef, Moreno Cedroni, the menu brings an avant-garde spirit to Italian cuisine by incorporating contemporary techniques and having a strong emphasis on fish.
Checking their website before I went along for lunch I read "Many of the ingredients used are delivered fresh from Italy, conserving their original fragrances and flavours." That is something that is noticeable from the off.
Sitting very comfortably at a window seat, with a view of Hyde Park, straight away water is poured and food and wine menus are brought over.
Choosing from the food menu is easy, it all sounds delicious. You could close your eyes and pick something and be more than happy with what is brought to your table.
To start: Veal on the left and parmasan pasta on the right The wine list on the other hand is ever so slightly daunting. As someone who enjoys wine but is by no means a connoisseur, the wine list which is comprised of approximately 500 labels is really quite scary. Luckily the charming waiter offers to choose a wine that will compliment my meal- panic over.
To start I choose the slow cooked veal served with sweet and sour couscous and a raspberry ginger sauce. The dish arrived at my table and looked truly beautiful, incredibly colourful- it could brighten the dullest of days.
Main: Seabass on the right, Fusilli Verrigni rightThe sweet and sour flavour really stands out and compliments the veal greatly. The raspberry and ginger sauce was tangy and sweet. The whole dish was incredibly light- simply put it was a winning combination and an excellent starter, which I would be hard pushed to not go for again.
For the main I went for the fusilli "verrigni" with clams, calamari, prawns and tomatoes served with a green pepper sauce. Again the presentation was beautiful, and once again the same goes for the taste. Seafood is one of my favourites, and seafood done well is unbeatable.
Dessert: Tiramisu left, Crispy celeriac with mozzarella and chocolate icecreamThe prawns, calamari and clams were full of flavour, to the extent they could have been caught fresh that day. And the green pepper sauce added a new dimension to the flavour, making it stand out from other similar fish dishes.
I finished lunch with a delicious Tiramisu. The taste of coffee was very much there but far from overpowering which I loved as many Tiramisu can be quite heavy. If I had to nit-pick I would have liked a fork and spoon to eat this dish as I did find myself chasing it around the bowl a few times- but that really is the only fault I could find.
It's the little things like the amuse bouche between the courses, the more than attentive staff and the elegant setting that make dinning here feel all the more luxurious, which is made even better when the pricing is more than reasonable. Be it for a working lunch or for a lady that lunches, Moreno offers everything you could possibly want.
020 7368 5700
www.baglionihotels.com/en/destinations/london/baglioni-hotel/restaurant/moreno-at-baglioni-restaurant