A Hot Dinners exclusive
What: Il Tetto
In a nutshell: A new Italian restaurant on the Selfridges rooftop
Summing it all up: With a former L'Anima chef, a rigorous Italian menu and Hot Cocktail bar, Selfridges' latest rooftop restaurant has all the winning elements of a great night out on top of London.
The low-down
We're partial to a spot of rooftop dining here at Hot Dinners and now there's a rather good-sounding new collaboration underway between restaurateur Des McDonald and Selfridges called Il Tetto.
It's a new Italian restaurant that'll be popping up on the department store's rooftop for a whole year, pairing classic-yet-contemporary Italian food with beautiful views across the capital.
The menu is split into the usual headings - antipasti and secondi, plus risottos, pizzas and contorini sides. All of it looks very promising indeed, but some of the standout dishes we like the sound of include:
- Wood fired Barnsley chop, white onions, seared fennel
- Pumpkin hand filled pasta parcels, robiola fondue, crispy sage
- Whipped air-dried cod, grilled polenta, charred roast peppers sauce
- Tuscan Minestrone, black cabbage, cannellini beans
And don't worry - the space's famous truffle chips are still on offer.
Aside from the evening menu, there'll also be brunches, lunches and afternoon teas, plus cicchetti small bite plates for you to share if you're in the mood to try a little bit of everything.
Creamy Italian desserts are always very high on our hit list, and Il Tetto's menu looks like being full of strong contenders, like their Semifreddo al limone amalfitano with iced lemon parfait, or a gorgeous-sounding Mousse al gianduia with chocolate and crunchy, caramelised hazelnuts.
To help you stay toasty warm if you venture outside, there'll be a selection of hot toddies and winter warmers on offer from the restaurant's Hot Cocktail bar - just the thing we like to see on a windswept rooftop. There will be Rafatfia with brandy, honey and roasted cardamom, or Andreana with Muscatel, Borgia Bianco, pear puree and Cocci Americano.
Keeping things going in the kitchen will be head chef Luca Terraneo (formerly of L'Anima and Franco's), who's worked closely with Des to come up with the seasonal dishes on the menu while Matthew Hayes will be taking the role of executive pastry chef.
More about Il Tetto
Where is it? Selfridges Roof Top, 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB (there's an express lift to the rooftop in the Fragrance Hall on the ground floor).
When does it open? 6 October 2017
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @IlTetto_ and Instagram @iltetto_selfridges.
