Locatelli at the National Gallery, London WC2: ‘Come for the Michelangelo, stay for the orecchiette' – restaurant review

The Guardian

3 days ago

I first heard of Giorgio Locatelli's move to the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London via a promotional shot in which the great man stands, arms crossed, in front of The Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio. In the photograph, chef Locatelli, with his flowing, silver locks and impish expression, has himself the look of a Renaissance-era mover and shaker. Great art meets great art, it seems to say. Come for the The Entombment by Michelangelo in Room 2 on Level 2 and stay for the orecchiette with nettle pesto on the first-floor mezzanine next to the gift shop. Or even just for a coffee and a cake at Bar Giorgio, which is really just a coffee stand in the entrance hall that serves Locatelli's chantilly cream-filled brioche buns for £7 a pop.
Locatelli's new arty venture is in partnership with the catering company Searcys, which controls the dining offering at a number of large, unwieldy venues – the Gherkin, the Barbican and Battersea power station, to name just a few – as well as vast hangars in Pall Mall, Westminster and farther afield. This is an outfit that specialises in posh-ish experiences in mega-high-footfall sweet spots.
The National Gallery, especially in summer, is a far cry from Locatelli's much-famed, Michelin-starred restaurant Locanda Locatelli, where small portions of pricey pasta, drilled service and twinkly lighting created a charming ambience. So charming, in fact, that after your linguine all'astice or strozzapreti al pomodoro, you could almost forgive a bill that felt a bit like being run over by a Piaggio scooter on Piazza Venezia in Rome.
Locatelli's skill at creating ambience is being tested at the National Gallery, especially at the moment, when school's out for summer and this elegant, echoey gallery that's packed with old masters is overtaken by quacking hordes of crepe paper- and crayon-wielding school trips from overseas. These children would rather be anywhere else but staring at The Ambassadors by Holbein the Younger, and are probably busy giving each other dead arms while I pick at my burrata and panzanella antipasti.
But here's the thing: I liked Locatelli at the National Gallery a lot. Head chef Imma Savinelli and general manager Costanzo Cappella, who front this latest Locatelli venture, have pulled off something unique in this pretty space with its pistachio-coloured, velour banquettes, gold furnishings and cute dessert trolley that delivers large, fat slices of tiramisu. The place is dashingly handy for meeting friends, too, and has a big, serious horseshoe bar that serves gin sours, adonises and breakfast martinis.
What's more, the lunch menu is a million times more interesting than the usual museum or gallery scones and sandwich fare. Here, there is piping hot fritto misto, a choice of five fresh pasta dishes, including, when we visited, a juicy bowl of delightfully pungent red gurnard with thick pappardelle, fresh tomato, almonds and black olives that was nothing short of delicious. Someone is actually cooking here, not cynically heating things up for tourists; other pastas on offer might include handmade braised veal tortellini dotted with a punchy gremolata and served in a parmesan sauce or calamarata with sea bream.
Earlier, a small, warm, rustic loaf of potato-and-rosemary sourdough had appeared with a glug of very good olive oil for dipping, which we ate with a bowl of giardiniera (pickled vegetables), including fennel and carrot. One of the highlights of lunch was a vegan offering, baked aubergine, roasted until soft but not decimated, dressed with a very good soy 'ricotta', sweet cherry tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts and basil pesto.
From the mains, there was rib-eye with rocket pesto and pot-roast chicken with polenta, both of them served with potato arrosto, should one see fit. The contorni section, however, is a bit limited – there's just those spuds, some green beans and a rocket salad – and I chose badly from the dessert trolley with a Sicilian lemon tart that seemed slightly old and was not remotely zingy. We should have had another of those pricey chantilly cream buns.
Service throughout felt as if everyone involved cared a great deal about your experience and was trying incredibly hard, even if it was the first time they'd ever worked in a restaurant, which in the current era of hospitality is really about as good as it gets. I'll take my service pleasant, well-meaning and unpolished any day.
Overall, then, there's a lot to love about Locatelli at the National Gallery. Sure, it's not a patch on a night out at Locanda Locatelli; it's just a once-round-the-Botticellis followed by a bowl of fresh tagliatelle kind of gig. Not a masterpiece, but not bad. Not bad at all.
Locatelli at the National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing, The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2, locatelliatnationalgallery.co.uk (no phone). Open all week, 11.30am-5.45pm (Fri 10.15pm, Sat 8.15pm). From about £50 a head à la carte, plus drinks and service
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