Quirinale,
Victoria SW1
Louise
Elgin was our division belle!
Last
night I retreated from the heat,
bustle and grind of central London
into the oasis of calm that is
Quirinale. As soon as I walked
down the staircase and into the
air-conditioned restaurant I
felt my mood change, it was like
flicking a switch. Quirinale
is a stone's throw (within range
of the division bell) of The
Houses of Parliament and is named
after Rome's Presidential Palace,
which seemed appropriate. This
is a serious Italian restaurant,
no over-size pepper pots in this
establishment, in fact, no salt
or pepper grinders were on any
of the tables, such was the confidence
of the kitchen. The atmosphere
is very intimate, with tables
well spaced, allowing private
conversations to remain so. The
white, very light environment
evoked a feeling of peace and
calm, whilst the atmosphere was
conducive to eating in an exclusive
private dining club.
We
were warmly welcomed, seated
at a table that was simply but
elegantly set , where we got
down to the serious business
of the menu. This was divided
into four sections and suited
the hot sunny weather; antipasti,
pasta and risotto, fish and meat
and vegetables. There were six
antipasti to chose from with
an added selection on the specials
menu that changes daily. These
included Beef carpaccio marinated
in honey and grain mustard with
broad beans and pecorino, £9.50,
warm asparagus with poached egg
and "bagoss" cheese, £8.50.
I
started with the pea soup with
pancetta and goat's cheese, £7.50.
This was served beautifully,
a delicious marriage of tastes,
the goat's cheese and cured bacon
mingling wonderfully with the
dense pea flavour of the soup.
My guest's starter was selected
from the specials menu, octopus
and potato salad, £9.50. It was
served as a timbale, the colours
very inviting and was the perfect
size. She added that the flavours
complemented each other with
no taste overpowering the other.
The presentation was very attractive,
with tiny tomatoes and flecks
of rocket decorating the miniature
sandcastle, which was topped
with chervil.
As
we both wanted to drink different
wines we chose by the glass.
I had the Pinot Bianco Garda
La Prendina, £4.25 per glass,
(£15.00 a bottle). It was delicious,
a blend of citrus fruit and balancing
acidity, perfect for the weather.
My guest was drinking red and
selected a glass of Barbera D'Asti
Vespa Cascina Castlet, £5.50
per glass, £21.00 a bottle. She
said it was a medium bodied summery
red, fruity and spicy. The wine
list was very extensive, with
40 white wines, mostly Italian,
ranging from £12.50 for a Grillo
Kalura Cantina Birgi from Sicily
at £12.50 per bottle, through
to £92.00 for a bottle of Langhe
Chardonnay Rossi-Bass Gaja, 2000.
The average price on the list
was around £25.00. There were
47 red wines, again averaging
around the £25.00 mark and mainly
from Italy, including Barolo
Fontanafredda 1997/8, £43.00
a bottle, and the more affordable
Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Villa
Torre at £17.00 per bottle.
The
pasta and risotto section looked
very tempting and included home
made tagliolini with fresh crab,
fresh tomato and chilli, £9.50
for a starter portion or £13.50
for a main course. Home made
papparardelle with ragu of duck
and broad beans, again priced
as the above. With it being such
a warm evening we were both thinking
along the same lines and decided
on fish. I chose baked fillet
of sea bass with Ligurian potato
and green bean salad and basil
puree, £14.50. This was served
rolled and stuffed, the fish's
skin crispy, each mouthful having
a delicate freshness with the
subtle flavours mingling with
an essence of fresh herbs. My
guest's roasted wild salmon trout
with caramelised shallots served
with a sauce of asparagus and
almonds, £14.00, was very summery
and light, the roasted almonds
perfectly complimenting the salmon.
The plate was dotted with asparagus
tips and red peppers with a smattering
of basil puree.
Whilst
we were savouring the last of
the flavours we had eaten and
pontificating over the idea of
pudding, the waitress brought
the most amazing selection of
cheeses to our table at £9.50
per serving. There were a total
of ten of perfect maturity, ranging
in variety from goat's, cow's
and sheep's milk. These oozed
'eat me' but I simply didn't
have room. So sadly had to decline.
For
pudding, all priced at £5.50,
we could indulge in the adventurous
sounding "Torta sbrisolona" (I
never did find out what that
was!) with black pepper ricotta,
or lemon pudding with raspberry
cream and passion fruit bavarese
with a coconut tuille. My guest
chose the chocolate brownie with
vanilla ice cream. It was served
in a ramekin, with slices of
strawberries and blueberries
with a sprig of mint. She said
it was more-ish comfort food
and scoffed the lot! I staggered
through a selection of sorbets
served in a crisp tuille basket.
These consisted of chocolate,
passion fruit and cherry. The
chocolate being my clear favourite
with the passion fruit coming
a close second. Alas the cherry
was no match for its competitors.
As
we made our way home we felt
replete and at peace with the
world. Quirinale, you've got
the recipe right. Arrivederci!
Louise
Elgin. July 2003
Quirinale
North Court, 1 Great Peter Street
London SW1P 3LL
Tel: 020 7222-7080
