Angela Hartnett—former protégée of Gordon Ramsay and one of the UK’s top culinary talents—has just opened the Café Murano on the former site of Pétrus on St. James’s Street. This is her third establishment after the Michelin-starred Murano in Mayfair and Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, Hampshire. Hartnett first rose to fame at the helm of The Connaught’s fine dining restaurant (and on the first season of Ramsay’s TV series Hell’s Kitchen).
Specializing in northern Italian cuisine, Café Murano was designed by Russell Sage Studios with hardwood floors and a counter bar that seats 12 diners. Head Chef Sam Williams has created a delicious (and affordable) menu with dishes like culatella pasta fritti (£11); fettuccine with wild boar (£9.50 small, £13.50 large); roasted monkfish tail, brown shrimps, golden raisins (£19.50); and sausage stew, tomato and sage (£15). Desserts include an ice cream menu that changes daily; Vin Santo and Cantucci biscuits (£6); roasted fig zabaglione (£5.50), and Tiramisu (£6.50).
Café Murano, 33 St. James's Street, London SW1A 1HD, Tel: 020 3371 5559; www.cafemurano.co.uk.