Sartoria Launceston Place

"Sir Terence Conran revolutionised the London dining scene in the 1990s with a slew of characterful restaurants that defined the culinary zeitgeist. The riverside power brasserie Le Pont de la Tour was a heady mix of celebrities, city boys and gangsters, and Quaglino's redefined Paris' La Coupole by giving it a hyper-glamorous post-modern spin. Sitting elegantly in Savile Row was and still is the original Sartoria, an homage to Milanese culinary style and English tailoring"

"With Conran Restaurants and its successor D&D both gone now, the group has emerged under new management as the Evolv Collection. In what is probably a smart move, they have replaced the Fine Dining offer at Launceston Place with a Kensington branch of Sartoria, hence Sartoria Launceston Place. This chi-chi locale has long been in need of a good quality neighbourhood restaurant."

"Sartoria Launceston Place has a very different feel to its Savile Row sibling. Set in a charming Georgian building, the restaurant is a discreet warren of interconnecting rooms with wooden floors, light green walls and chic black and white photos on the walls. There are mannequins and other tailoring bits and bobs dotted around, reflecting the restaurant's heritage. We start with a couple of glasses of a deliciously crisp Lombardian Franciacorta, Mosnel Brut, that gives our digestive systems a yeasty kick"

Terence Conran established iconic London restaurants in the 1990s, including Le Pont de la Tour, Quaglino's and the original Sartoria on Savile Row. Conran Restaurants and D&D have been replaced by the Evolv Collection, which converted Launceston Place's fine dining into Sartoria Launceston Place. The Kensington venue offers bar service, breakfast, weekday and Sunday lunch alongside an a la carte menu. The interior occupies a Georgian townhouse with interconnecting rooms, wooden floors, light green walls, tailoring-related decor and mannequins. The menu follows classic Italian structure with an Aperitivo list and Cicchetti e Pane. Drinks include Lombardian Franciacorta and house cocktails.

Read at www.london-unattached.com