Murano

20 Queen St, London

Angela Hartnett’s innovative Italian is like a great neighbourhood restaurant — if you live in W1, that is.

Like an Italian mamma lapping up the plaudits from an adoring family, Angela Hartnett marauds around Murano safe in the knowledge that each diner hangs on her every dish. When Food and Travel ate, it resembled more of a fan club than a dining room. Two guests brought Hartnett’s cookbooks for her to sign; another octogenarian regular was showered with kisses by Hartnett herself. She knows her social crowd by name and leaves the Mayfair suits to thrash out million-pound pow wows over some of the best arancini in the capital.

The way Hartnett treats arancini is emblematic of the way she runs her restaurant. Traditionally a peasant food, balls of yesterday’s risotto breadcrumbed and deep-fried, they’re elevated to Michelin grade by the addition of truffle and the mere suggestion of citrus to give crack- grade levels of moreishness. But these are just the start, arriving with parmesan crisps and a light charcuterie board to eat while perusing the evening’s menu. Best perused with the excellent house negroni, obviously.

The menu is split into starters, rice and pasta, vegetables, fish and meat. To start, octopus with cod cheeks, grapefruit, tomato and chilli is divine; each element treated with respect and cooked just long enough to bring out individual flavour, generously seasoned then served with pared-back elegance on the plate. Baked gnocchi is the pick of round two. In a departure from the traditional fried variety, baking brings out the full flavour of the potato, intensified by an earthy sage butter. We skip straight to the meat course: crispy pork belly, wet polenta, roast shallot and pecans. While it’s a top-drawer dish, the star player is the polenta. Firm enough to hold its form on the plate, it has an almost citric flavour that complements the pork almost as well as apple sauce.

As we leave, Hartnett emerges to present her puddings to the two fan club members. Their delight is palpable and they quip that they had no idea how friendly the atmosphere would be. It’s that kind of place. Sure it’s got the hallmarks of a one-star space: starched linen, twinkling glassware, observant but not overbearing staff, but it also has the air of a neighbourhood restaurant. Admittedly, with four courses and wine at well north of £100, it’s the kind of neighbourhood restaurant for families with a Mayfair postcode. MS. 020 7495 1127