Amusing Bouches: Cafe Murano, London, 23rd January 2014

We had a lovely lunch at Murano over the summer (that was before I started blogging but I took some pics that are so pretty that I've included them at the end of this blog). Since then we've spotted a few articles about Angela Hartnett who appears to have been pretty busy setting up new places over the last few months. Having read about Cafe Murano it sounded like a good choice to try with a friend during a trip to London. I booked a few weeks in advance but the main restaurant was already fully booked for the time we were looking at so we went for the "bar counter" which sounded like it could offer a bit of a different experience.

Unfortunately my friend was held up due to unplanned issues on the Victoria line (not sure who thought it was a good idea to pour concrete into a control room??!!). Whilst waiting I tucked into some nuts/olives and my first glass of rose and got to watch the bartenders at work (who also took our orders and served our food). This included Sam who was very friendly and helpful throughout the evening.

Once my friend arrived shared a plate of cured meats to start. Then trying to convince myself I was being healthy I ordered cod with lentils for my main course. Any serious plans to be good were ruined when I was tempted by two desserts which we both shared.

There was a great atmosphere and sitting at the bar meant you got great service without it feeling at all intrusive-the staff could top up glasses as they were passing etc. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and definitely somewhere I'd recommend.