‘Martino’s already feels as if it’s been here for years,’ say TOM PARKER BOWLES of the new trattoria on Sloane Square
Martino’s, a new Italian restaurant on the corner of London’s Sloane Square, seems to have emerged, fully formed, with the merest of murmurs. One moment it was a Hugo Boss shop, the next a sumptuous, Milanese-style trattoria, all gleaming wood, butter-soft leather and barmen clad in white tuxedos. The place oozes art deco elegance, the high-ceilinged room built around a vast horseshoe bar, the service already expertly drilled. But then this is the new place from restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski, the man behind Mayfair’s The Dover. And he’s a man who knows exactly what his customers want.
At Martino’s horseshoe-shaped bar, ‘the service is expertly drilled’
In this part of Chelsea, you need something to please social X-rays and serious eaters alike – you’ll find salads and crudos sitting next to pizza and pasta. No surprises there, as Chelsea is the heartland of the charming, if mainly mediocre, British Italian restaurant. Martino’s is certainly charming, but a few cuts above the local norm. Take the zucchini fritti. Not only are they immaculately fried, gloriously crisp and light, but they’re finished with a spritz of vinegar. Genius. Equally exalted are the tortellini in brodo, tight ears of beef- and pork-stuffed pasta in a golden, pellucid broth. That broth is as fine as I’ve tasted anywhere, intense but not over salty. You even get extra, in a small jug at the side. Trust me, you’ll want more of this ambrosial liquor. I’d come back for these two dishes alone.
But there’s more. Meatballs on toast, plump as Pavarotti, are gloriously juicy, drenched in a splendidly rich beef ragu. Then there’s a great monolithic wodge of lasagne that would make a Bolognese Nonna weep: oozing bechamel, pert pasta sheets and more of that wonderful ragu. For pudding, hot doughnuts with a splodge of lemon and vanilla custard, reminiscent of childhood days on hot Ischian beaches.
OK, so I would love to see bollito misto on the menu, bagna cauda and trippa alla Fiorentina too. All much-adored staples of the Milanese trattoria. But these are early days. Martino’s already feels as if it’s been here for years, despite being open for just a few weeks. It has warmth, heart and soul. Prices are eminently civilised. And in an area not known for the quality of its food, Martino’s is a place where you don’t need to be well-heeled to be well fed.
About £40 per head. Martino’s, 37 Sloane Square, London SW1; martinoslondon.com
