One of my favourite chefs is back in London with a beautiful, fine dining restaurant within the Corinthia London hotel. I may add that conveniently it’s about 20m walk from home, and a lovely walk it is right across the Hungerford bridge; it is also very near Benjamin Franklin House which is a small historic house-museum where I have started volunteering recently.

Basically, I am trying to justify why I have been to the restaurant already 3 times since it opened, not even two months ago! No excuses needed though – the food is exceptional as one has come to expect from chef Francesco Mazzei, and the interior is simply gorgeous, so who wouldn’t want to pop in even for a coffee? But there’s more to enjoy for sure.

The venue

The river side of the Corinthia is where Mezzogiorno is. The restaurant was years ago called Massimo and I had one odd experience here as a rookie blogger, with a post that generated so much anger from the chef at the time and so much PR pressure I had to take it down! But that’s another story and I certainly did learn a lesson.

It is odd to reminisce it now, many years on and a lot of experienced later, for sure. And to see how the space has been transformed is truly something. The venue is spacious, the ceilings are cathedral like, but the light and the materials used make it a warm, welcoming place with layers of sophistication. Dark metal, curving surfaces, enormous chandeliers mix with wooden and glass cupboards, leather chairs, leafy plants and southern Italian kitchen comforts such as shiny copper pans and ivory terracotta crockery.

As guests enter and move towards the dining area, they walk right past the kitchen pass, the pasta station, the dessert cabinet… and most days they’ll also see Francesco and his team busy, but also never shy of a smile and a warm welcome. That is the spirit of Mezzogiorno, the Italian south… and that is where Francesco, like myself come from. Warmth, family, simple but flavoursome cooking… that is what we’re about.

The food

Well , where do I start. The menu has loads to offer, even for a pseudo-vegetarian like me… and a lot of the ingredients are sourced in the UK with a fundamental sustainability and quality control effort. Italian dishes with British ingredients at their best. Plenty of veggies… we loved the huge bowl of thin, crispy, zucchini fries, and I cannot wait to go back and try Parmigiana di Melanzane.

The pasta menu is of course, front of house, literally – as the pasta station is in front of incoming guests, with a chef always busy rolling sheets of fresh, perfect pasta and making those wonderful shapes that so well welcome sauces … I absolutely loved the Tonnarelli cacio and pepe.. and also tried Francesco’s delicious Tortelloni di burrata with balsamic vinegar.

Desserts have also a huge choice, and they can be peeked at since they are in a lovely cabinet for display. The enormous tiramisu’ tray, so that this creamy, coffee forward classic can be served table side; the baba with whipped mascarpone cream; the delizia al limone, a classic from the Amalfi coast; the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream and a tart and sweet orange coulis.

But let me spend a thought for the one and only pistachio ice cream… one of the most memorable ice creams I have ever had… all shades of green, all textures of pistachio, it is to die for! Just wonderful.

Welcome back to London chef Mazzei!

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