No.11 Cadogan Gardens is a lovely little boutique hotel in a peacefully quiet street in Chelsea. Nestled in the lower ground floor of this red brick Victorian mansion-block is Tartufo.
The dining area was split into two rooms and both were beautiful – it all felt very glamorous. White table cloths adorned the tables yet it didn’t feel awkwardly stuffy; as we sank into the armchairs we felt very comfortable indeed.
We opted for the lunch menu which sounded utterly bargainous; three courses, half a bottle of wine, coffee and petit fours for £35 with three options per course. A six course truffle tasting menu priced at £65 was also available.
Some mini cold tomato tartlets kicked things off and they tasted lovely. Our only criticism would be that they might have been more enjoyable if they were served warm.
Some warm bread was next up served alongside a good glug of delicious olive oil. The black olive bread was my favourite and we more than gladly got through two plates of it!
To start I opted for the spelt, confit tomatoes and basil with purple artichoke and Parmesan which had been made into a risotto style dish. Divine would be understatement; this was a creamy, rich and unctuous plate of heaven!
My gentleman companion went for the warm peach and grilled scallops with radicchio leaves, wild rocket and crustacean dressing. The dressing gave the dish a real flavour of the sea which was soothed by the sweet peach. The scallops were cooked beautifully.
We were then kindly treated to an extra dish; Atlantic cod with classic ratatouille. The cod had been marinated in parsley and garlic which gave off a lovely aroma and a deep fried courgette flower placed on top added texture.
For main I chose the large Swiss chard and summer truffle ravioli with an aged Parmesan velouté, red chard leaves and truffle dressing. The smell of truffle as this was put before me was utterly divine – the plate was scattered with shavings of the stuff. The pasta was delicately thin and perfectly cooked and the Parmesan sauce was rich and smooth – a faultless pasta dish.
My gentleman companion’s main was equally as enjoyable; crunchy pork belly with rosti potatoes and glazed Chantenay carrots. The crackling top on the pork certainly provided its promised crunch and the pancetta and pork jus only heightened this porky treat. The pototoes were like mini jacket potatoes and were really lovely.
For dessert I went for the lightly poached peaches refreshed with Prosecco served with peach sorbet which was a deliciously light pudding. The winning dessert for us however was the dark chocolate crunch with walnut and praline, chocolate glaze and lemon ice which is available from the evening a la carte menu. It was very impressive to look at as there was a piece of gold leaf stuck atop a thin tower of sugar that stuck high into the air. It was a chocolate, nutty delight and we loved every single bite!
To accompany our giant pot of coffee the petit fours came in the form of some buttery (and very crumbly) biscuits which were delicious and a very pleasant end to a really lovely meal.
It was difficult not to fall in love with Tartufo; it’s a beautiful restaurant serving simple and non-fussy food that’s big on tasty flavours. Head chef Manuel Oliveri is formerly of Gauthier in Soho which perhaps explains it. Combine that with fantastic service, we could not have been looked after any better, and you’ve got yourself a rather charming restaurant.
9/10
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