BANGLE MAG - Magazine - Page 15
S E TT
E A T
T H E B U L G A R I
For a reviving and well-deserved lunch, the two-course
set menu at Sette, situated within the Bulgari Hotel
(www.settelondon.co.uk) is good value, offering a
choice of tongue-twistingly good scarpetta spaghetti,
divinely tender roast chicken with herb spätzle and
courgettes, or salmon with braised endive. For dessert,
the signature Espresso Budini with salted caramel and
chocolate biscotti is not to be missed. The restaurant
has a sophisticated and relaxed ambience, with plush
leather seating, diffuse lighting and decent music from
the swinging sixties and soulful seventies.
B I G M A M M
J A C U Z Z I
If you’re planning to stay into the evening,
the Nolita Social club downstairs is well
worth checking out, with live music and DJ
sets towards the end of the week. I’m told it’s
almost impossible to get a table at Nolita’s
sister club without booking months in
advance, but in London, it remains a well-kept
secret.
4 , Knightsbridge Grn, London SW1X 7QA
www.settelondon.co.uk
A ’S
Big Mamma Group’s latest London offering is opulent without being intimidating, and playful without
veering into gaudiness. Jacuzzi, a four-floor palazzo, is a step up from Big Mamma’s more traditional laid-back
trattorias scattered around the capital. It’s Miami meets Milano, with unabashed levels of indoor greenery.The
British high Street has long had a taste of la dolce vita, with restaurants such as The Ivy becoming accessible
to a range of budgets. At Jacuzzi, there is a similarly accessible vibe. You can sip prosecco, take selfies in the
hall-of-mirror-style bagni, and eat reasonably priced caviar from the Veneto region all in a short day’s work.
Alternatively, you can upgrade your fizz to a glass of slightly drier Franciacorta and make a foray into the world
of stuffed feta-stuffed focaccia and showstopping chocolate fondue. In short, you can do you.
Jacuzzi’s menu features contemporary takes on perennial antipasti staples such as kebab-style bresaola and
burrata oozing with pistachio pesto. Wine by the bottle here is high end, catering for seasoned gourmands
with looser purse strings. A meal at Jacuzzi appeals to our sense of the spectacular, from the dripping
chandeliers to the rich red décor. There is a nurturing instinct to the hospitality, in keeping with the Big
Mamma brand. To my great relief, our sommelier Giorgio agrees that Pinot Nero will complement the
bavette steak just as well as white meats. The meat is tender with an earthy charcoal edge, and the wine lends
a morello cherry sweetness to proceedings. My companion, Madame P, selects fried artichoke, and whilst we
are expecting a fiddly affair, the carciofo with freshly sliced truffle involves no pruning. We share the steak and
artichoke with a side of spinach between us, and still have ample room for dolci.
Here, Giorgio valiantly steps in with the most exquisite Moscato D’Asti, described as ‘Elton John in a bottle’.
Perhaps ‘Bowie in a bottle’ would be more accurate: chilled, peachy and full of stardust. But nothing prepares
me for the true star of the evening, the breathtaking pistachio profiterole with pistachio ice-cream, hazelnut
cream and chocolate sauce, which is truly exceptional.
94 Kensington High St, London W8 4SJ.
www.bigmammagroup.com
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