Award: One Michelin star, 4 AA Rosettes.
Chef Proprietor: Angela Hartnett, MBE, is a legend. After starting out in the kitchens at Aubergine, Zafferano, L’Oranger and Petrus, Angela became head chef at Petrus within seven short months, helping the restaurant to achieve a Michelin star. She went on to launch Amaryllis in Scotland; Verre in Dubai; Menu and The Grill Room at The Connaught, with Gordon Ramsay. In 2007 Angela was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry.
In August 2008, Murano was opened by Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett in Mayfair, next door to Indian restaurant Tamarind of London which also has a Michelin star. Murano was purchased outright from Ramsay by Angela, with the handover taking place in 2010. Murano is one of the few restaurants to hold 4 AA rosettes and was included in the Good Food Guide’s Top 50 restaurants for 2015.
In 2012 Angela opened Hartnett Holder & Co in partnership with Robin Hutson and Chef Luke Holder. In September 2013 Angela launched the critically acclaimed Merchants Tavern in Shoreditch, in collaboration with Head Chef Neil Borthwick, and Canteen founders, Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone. In November of that year she opened the similarly championed Café Murano, a brassier little sister to Murano, where she creates the menu with Sam Williams as Head Chef.
Head chef: Oscar Holgado replaced Pip Lacey as head chef in 2017. Oscar left his position as Head Chef at Pitt Cue in the City to go back to Murano. Oscar previously joined Murano in 2010 as a demi chef de partie before moving up the ranks to sous chef. Then he moved on to be part of the opening team for Fera at Claridges and then in 2016 joined the team at Pitt Cue.
Visit: 2nd March 2018, dinner for two.
Price: **
Website: https://www.muranolondon.com/
Review: Murano opened in 2008 and within 4 months achieved a Michelin Star, followed by 4 AA Rosettes. If you like contemporary Italian food, then this is the place for you!
Apart from the very loud American banker sitting behind me, everything was perfect. The food is breathtakingly good. The service impeccable. I like the restaurant décor and I prefer tables with proper napery. Murano ticked all of the boxes. I can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough.
I haven’t tried Café Murano yet, but I’m sure its going to be another favourite of mine.
The Restaurant:
Inside, the restaurant is modern and very comfortable
We chose the table by the column on the left side
The Food:
The Wine:
I chose an excellent Sicilian wine, a Carricante Etna Bianco Superiore “Pietramarina” by Benanti.
This great white wine is grown on 80-year-old vines on the eastern slope of Etna in the commune of Milo. Only the Etna Bianco produced in this region may be given the title of “Superiore”. The wine is pale yellow colour and it has aromas of ripe citrus with hints of lemongrass, orange blossom, and an almond nuttiness with a final twist of star anise. It has superb acidity with a lovely, long, moreish finish.
Interestingly, the Benanti winery produces high quality wines from vineyards located on different slopes of Mount Etna, so as to highlight the uniqueness of the many different terroirs within the Etna DOC region.