EATING OUT
EATING OUT
The Franklin Restaurant by Alfredo Russo 24 Egerton Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 2DB Telephone: 0207 584 5533
Sometimes, when in London, you need to expect the unexpected, and when visiting The Franklin Hotel to dine at The Franklin Restaurant by Alfredo Russo, that is particularly true, because if you blink you could easily miss the hotel as apart from a flag proudly fluttering with an F, there is nothing to hint that there is a hotel here, despite it occupying four of the town houses in the road. The Franklin Hotel is a 5-star boutique hotel that re-opened in 2016 after having an extensive make-over, and what a wonderful make-over it has had. I have always felt it would have been great to have been at my prime in the 1920’s, as the music was exciting and the décor so extravagant, and on entering The Franklin Hotel you are transported back to these times, and the Great Gatsby era of classic suits, spats and stylish dresses for women. The hotels décor, designed by the actress turned hotelier, Anouska Hempel, has created an uber stylish space of monochrome colours with stone floors and grey velvety furniture, and as we entered the cosy bar at the back of the hotel we were faced with a mixture of mirrors, and décor of black, white and grey, which totally contrasted from the unexpected vibrant green of the communal gardens visible through the back windows. The bar looks like a set from the Great Gatsby, and it serves a mean cocktail as well as offering many of the usual tipples. I would recommend coming early to your reservation at The Franklin Restaurant to WWW.THEAMERICANHOUR.COM
give yourself time to experience this bar, as it is visually spectacular as well as serving some of the best drinks in London. It was a short walk from the bar to the intimate restaurant, which is decked out in a similar design to the bar, and only has room for 30 covers. This is the domain of Michelinstarred Chef Alfredo Russo, and presents wonderful Italian food influenced from the North Western part of Italy which is known for richer and more indulgent food than that in Southern Italy. The menu is simple and compact and focuses on quality, with only four selections for each course. Before our Antipasti course we were given a taste of what was to come, in the form of a spectacular amuse bouche, a wonderfully light and delicate bun encasing fresh smoked salmon and a smoky chickpea hummus. For our Antipasti my wife chose the Insalata di Tuberi (£15) and I selected one of Alfredo Russo signature dishes, Polpo e Patate (£18). The Insalata provided a clever contrast between the pickled beetroot and the creamy caramelised Melusine goat’s cheese in a balsamic reduction, but the star was definitely the Polpo (or octopus in English). The octopus was insanely fresh, and because it was cooked slowly had a delicate texture and was full of flavour, but the special part was the potato foam it was surrounded by, which was so light and frothy it was like eating fluffy clouds. For our Primi course I selected the Risotto Scampi e Burrata (£26) and my wife chose the Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (£17). The risotto here is made from carnaroli rice, which is mainly used in the northwest region of Piedmont, and is considered the ‘king’ of risotto rices’, as it contains a little more starch and makes the risotto creamier, and was the perfect accompaniment to the generous chunks of perfectly cooked Cornish Langoustine.
My wife’s pasta was cooked perfectly and served just al dente, with a pecorino cheese sauce and well-seasoned with black pepper. Our Secondi course was equally expertly cooked and beautifully plated as you would expect from a Michelin-starred Chef, and my recommendation is the Fassona alla Milanese (£34) which is a Fassona Piemontese fillet with traditional grissino crumb served with a smooth carrot purée. The Fassona Piemontse cow is native to the Piedmont region and provides a lean meat that has an intense red colour, and this tender beef has been moulded into a rissole shape and coated in a crunchy breadcrumbs, giving the dish a strong texture juxtaposed by the smooth carrot purée and the foam that balances precariously on the top. Desserts are equally special, and our favourite was the Crema Caramellata (£11) which is an inspired twist on a crème caramel with fresh wild berries, strawberry ice cream and layered with soft caramelised cream. The service was efficient, but also warm and welcoming, which is a difficult balance to strike. If you need help with the menu they are there with clear explanations of the dishes, but if you are on an intimate date night (this is the perfect place to have this by the way), they keep their distance enough to allow you to enjoy your time together. I have eaten at many Italian restaurants in London in my time, so it is easy to become a little complacent about visiting another one, but The Franklin Restaurant is truly a hidden gem (literally), and is truly impossible to be blasé about as it really is that good. From the moment you walk through the door everything oozes class. The décor, the service and the food are all on point, and as an experience is right up there as one of the best Italian restaurants I have been luckily enough to experience. www.collezione.starhotels.com WWW.AMERICANINBRITAIN.CO.UK
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