Cafe Murano

With the many woes of this world, we thought that we needed to cheer ourselves up.

Cafe Murano has a very grand setting with high ceilings, elaborate yet not ostentatious decoration and smartly dressed waiters; it extruded a feeling of professional service.  Packed to the high rafters, we had to settle for a little table in the corner.  Which probably goes some way to explain the service.

Cheese balls.  A little something to sate the appetite before we dove into our repast.

Tagliatelle with lamb ragu.  I found this to be something that I would expect to find in any mass chain restaurant.  The tagliatelle was sadly by turns overcooked and under-boiled and affected a limp and crunchy texture.  Something which I try to avoid in my wheat dishes.  The lamb ragu tasted suspiciously like generic minced meat.

Other interesting things were happening with my fellow diner.   When his roast meat arrived, it sadly seemed to be missing his side order of sides.  Ok, they were busy so they can’t be expected to get everything right.  After all, on a Saturday night, it’s not like you would expect or hope your restaurant floor to be full of bustle.  Operative word being hope… When his greens arrived (yes, my friend is healthy like that), one dish seemed to have morphed into something altogether different.  Nothing to do but send it back.

As a more casual outpost of the flagship Murano, this cafe certainly delivered a laid back atmosphere.  Although, unfortunately, it seemed that this rather more extemporaneous environment had managed to seep into the service and food in a less than helpful manner.

A quiet eating 4/10.

Dinner (2 courses) was GBP 23 excluding drinks and service.

Cafe Murano
33 St. James’s Street
London SW1A 1HD