Last Friday we have had the opportunity of dining at one of London’s most iconic hotels, The Four Seasons in Park Lane.
A bit of background
The Italian restaurant located inside the Four Seasons is called Amaranto. They have put together a menu of modern Italian cuisine with international flavours. Urban dining is served up with an extensive à la carte menu and, for more intimate affairs, a private dining room seats up to eight guests.
Our experience
As we arrived, we were kindly greeted by their lovely Italian staff. We sat inside by the window, even though it was a beautiful sunny evening and the private garden looked amazing. We had the opportunity of meeting Massimiliano, the restaurant’s chef, who gave us a bit of background and guided us through the menu. He told us that they only use fresh products, and that every month they update their menu depending on the season. Asparagus seem to be the big thing at the moment!
After talking so much about food with the chef, we were getting a bit hungry! The à la carte menu gave us a large variety of choice, and we decided to follow Massimiliano’s suggestions by ordering the Burrata di Andria, served with Creamy Fresh Cheese, Caponata, Castelvetrano Olives and Red Pepper Coulis, and the Sicilian Red Prawns, served with Fennel, Blood Orange and Pomegranate Salad. We were looking forward to trying the burrata as, especially in London, it is really hard to find a restaurant where it is truly fresh. We weren’t disappointed, as this fresh Italian cheese, made of mozzarella and cream, literally melted in our mouths. The prawns were also excellent and the plates were really well decorated, which gave us the opportunity of taking nice pictures for our Instagram!
Massimiliano decided to surprise us by also serving us some Panzerotti with sauce, plus a plate of Fritto Misto, made of Scallops, Prawns, Squid, Vegetables, Camone Tomato, Garlic and Saffron Sauce. It goes without saying that this was a really pleasant surprise! In the meantime, our sommelier brought us a nice bottle of 2013 Chardonnay, which was a bit too rich for our starters, but absolutely perfect for our mains.
Talking about mains, again we followed Massimiliano’s suggestions and went for the Ravioli Stuffed with Buffalo Mozzarella, Courgette, Mint and Potato and Grilled Octopus and for the Tagliolini al Granchio, with Portland Crab, Chives and Espellette Chilli. Once again the food was excellent and the plates were really well decorated. The pasta was cooked at the right point and it combined greatly with the fish.
It was time for dessert, and we decided to try one of the restaurant’s signatures, the Sei Piccoli Peccati al Cioccolato (Six Little Sins), made of Chocolate Fondant, Cocoa Crumble, White Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Cream, Dark Bitter Chocolate and Gianduia Chocolate Sauce. The preparation was amazing, as one of the waiters poured the Gianduia Chocolate Sauce on the Chocolate Fondant, creating a great display and revealing the strawberries and blueberries hidden within the Fondant.
At this point we were really full, so we thanked Massimiliano and our lovely waiter for the wonderful hospitality and headed off for the night.
Our view
This Italian restaurant within the Four Seasons hotel is a real hidden gem. The service is excellent and they really take care of their guests. Our waiter Gianmarco and our sommelier really paid attention to every detail, and were available to any question we may have. Our suggestion would be to pick a nice sunny day and to book in advance in order to enjoy a seat in their private garden, which looks absolutely amazing and exclusive. There are a lot of Italian restaurants in London, we know, but this one with its fresh seasonal products and international flavours probably beats them all.
