Inside All'onda looking out on to Charlotte Street
London has so many new Italian restaurants. What's special about this one?
It's true that London's in the midst of a massive surge in openings of Italian restaurants, but we think that All'onda is worthy of your attention. First up, there's the talent in the kitchen. Head Chef Andrea Granzarolo spent six years working for Hélène Darroze, as well as time at both The Greenhouse and The Square. Then there's the fact that he's focusing on risotto. So if you're a fan of that, then read on.
Where is it?
You'll find it midway along Charlotte Street, opposite Gaucho. Goodge Street is the nearest tube station.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
Most of the pubs around here are pretty decent, if not particularly exciting. We'd recommend popping into Carousel down the road for a glass of wine or a cocktail.
Where should we sit?
The dining room here is split into two levels. We liked the bright room as you went in for our weekend lunch, but the snug back room's a cosy pick too.
And what's on the menu?
This is being billed as 'fine dining' so it's a pretty formal restaurant experience with the menu split into starters, risottos and mains. Granzarolo says he's trying to add his own contemporary twist to classic risottos so he's been working with the restaurant's owner, Cordula Schulz, to bring in amazing British produce for that.
Here's what we had to give you an idea of what to expect here:
Beef tartaccio (£25) - a mash-up between tartare and carpaccio this features Scottish beef sliced in the style of a carpaccio, but with the flavours of a tartare through anchovies, parmesan and smoked soy.
White asparagus (£24) - the prettiest of dishes with spring onion, confit egg yolk and seaweed
We opted out of mains in order to have a risotto each. We could have gone even more off-piste than these with options including an artichoke risotto with coffee, black lime and sweetbreads.
Risotto Milanese: saffron and bone marrow risotto, topped with pieces of compressed veal and drizzled with parsley sauce - if a classic risotto Milanese and ossobucco had a love child.
Lobster risotto (£45) made with a lobster bisque and very generously topped with slices of Cornish lobster and tarragon foam.
Room for dessert?
Definitely. There are just two on offer, or you could opt for a cheese platter.
Tarte tatin (£13) - a very pretty take on a traditional tatin served with an intense thyme-flavoured ice cream. Be warned that this takes at least 15-20 minutes to make so if you're rushing you may want to order it earlier.
Chocolate mousse with Araguani 72% Venezuela Valrhona Chocolate (£13)
What's the wine list like?
As you might imagine there's a lot of Italian wine on offer with the rest of the list European in focus. What you might not expect is that there's actually plenty of choice when it comes to wines by the glass that are actually very well priced for a restaurant like this - think plenty in the £7-£10 a glass range. A Provencal rose from Rumor was a blast of early summer with our starters at £12 a glass and we enjoyed an amazing Vin Santo from Chianti with our desserts.
Overall thoughts:
There's real talent in this kitchen; even if you're not a massive fan of risotto there are plenty of reasons to try All'onda. But if - like us - you love it, then you are going to want to make several bookings here to work your way through chef Andrea's various clever takes on it.
More about All’onda
Where is it? 67 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4PH
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @allondarestaurant.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of All'onda. Prices correct at time of publication.
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