Tartufo Restaurant Review: Italian Truffle Heaven in Chelsea

Chelsea may have alot of Italian restaurants, but little of them are very good – or at least not the ones I’ve been too. But over the years one has always been my favourite – Tartufo. A beautiful fine dining Italian restaurant inside 11 Cadogan Gardens hotel in the heart of Chelsea and is part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World – a group of handpicked hotels worldwide. While other Italian restaurants in London serve either popular old school dishes or modern classics, Tartufo manages to somehow encompass all of that in each meal or plate of food. The staff are young here too, but they feel like they’ve being doing what they do for a lot longer. The wine list is small, but modern and the food is all very familiar – yet with a twist or two.

We had a drink in the hotels bar before heading down for dinner. It’s one of my favourite cocktail bars and they serve up one of the best Negroni’s in London – though admittedly I don’t get the time to visit as much as I’d like too. It has a real gentleman’s club feel about it – with a touch of glamour and the service is always spot on. You’ll never be sitting without a drink in your hand and they don’t spend half an hour shaking them.

After our cocktails we made our way downstairs to the restaurant and settled into our romantic and beautifully laid table where we started with a gorgeous selection of nibbles to whet our appetite. Heavenly arancini balls seasoned to perfection and mini crostinis topped with pea and mint.

Another attractive thing about the food here (apart from it all looking delicious) is that it’s such good value. You can dine off the full a la carte menu, laden with truffles and quality ingredients – taking your choice from either two, three or four filling courses. We started with a stunning beef carpaccio, topped with a Parmesan cream, salad leaves & more truffle than I could have ever dreamed of. My risotto was stunning too. Vivid yellow from all the perfumed saffron, drizzles of a crustacean sauce and topped with succulent prawns. Quite literally it was heaven in a bowl – a lot of it too.

What really makes Tartufo that extra bit special (apart from all the truffle) is the pastas and the depth of flavours they give. The homemade tagliatelle & beef ragu with pancetta, black truffle and Barolo sauce – really is as good as it gets. The richness, sweetness and saltiness all leave you salivating after each spoonful. Keep back some of the homemade foccacia too – it’s great for mopping up all the sauces.

If you manage all the way to fourth course territory, be prepared for more richness, more decadence and just as hearty portions. They really don’t hold back on anything here. We opted for a perfectly cooked roast fillet of beef with fondant potato, spinach, celeriac puree, Marsala sauce and of course – truffle. Presentation wise it was a little messy, but take one mouthful and you simply won’t care. Especially when washed down with a delicious Italian red from the excellent wine menu.

Dessert came in the form of some excellent home-made sorbets and ice-creams, followed by a sumptuous selection of petit fours. We had such a fantastic evening at Tartufo. The food is fantastic, the cocktails are perfection and as far fine dining goes it really doesn’t get much better in terms of value for money. Not to mention the bottomless Sunday lunch. If you’re looking to treat a loved or a enjoy a long and boozy family lunch. Tartufo has it all covered.