Murano

My first encounter with Angela Hartnett was at Taste of Christmas in the ExCeL centre in 2008. One of the dishes at the York & Albany stall was bream and despite the limited facilities, it was really nice.  Since then I’ve eaten at York & Albany a number of times and at Murano once when Angela Hartnett was Executive Chef for both as part of Ramsay Holdings.  Of the two, Murano’s menu had a much greater emphasis on Italian cuisine drawing on her family background. She bought out Gordon Ramsay’s stake in Murano late 2010 and stopped dividing her time between the two restaurants at the end of that year. I had really liked York & Albany, never having had a bad meal there and probably preferred it to Murano. However, I was eager to check out Murano now that it was a completely independent entity.

Murano suffers from a completely non-descript exterior and I’d forgotten how formal the Murano dining-room was, with starchy white tablecloths and hushed tones throughout. Having eaten at a wide variety of restaurants, particularly in the previous two weeks, I was slowly coming to the realisation that most spaces came with more personality than this and were much more preferable. 

Nevermind, it was time for the food. First items to arrive at the table were two canapés. The first of these were risotto balls with mushrooms and parmesan and they were glorious. A crispy bread-crumbed exterior gave way to a wonderfully oozy, lush centre. Accompanying the risotto balls in a separate serving dish were parmesan tuiles and these were also very good. A wonderful light “cracker” with a lovely strong parmesan flavour.  If the intent of the canapés was to get you excited about the meal in store then they did a superb job. 

Before starters, bread and ham plate was brought to the table. A generous portion of Coppa di Parma and another lighter ham were served with breadsticks, foccaccia and white bread. 

With the à la carte option, the restaurant encourages the selection of three courses and I opted to go for three savoury courses with a mind to revising the dessert menu if I felt up for it. My starter was one I’d had previously, Pheasant Agnolotti served with Onion Purée, Rosemary Jus and Truffle. The crescent-shaped pheasant-stuffed agnolotti were lovely with the onion and rosemary adding depth to the dish. Generous shavings of truffle crowned the dish for a lovely finishing touch. 

Next course was a fish dish. Sea Bass with Cauliflower Purée, Razor Clams, Lardo di Colonnata, Confit Potatoes and Sultanas was delicious. Every fish dish I’ve had at Angela Hartnett’s restaurants has always been centred round impeccably cooked fish and this was no exception. The unexpected weak point was the cauliflower purée which did not stand up to the fish well. I also wasn’t sure I could detect the lardo but it was a nice dish nonetheless. 

Final course was Partridge with Jerusalem Artichoke Purée, Wild Mushroom and Walnuts. This was a perfect late Autumn dish. The partridge breast was accompanied by a game sausage to give a nice contrast of meat flavours. Brussels sprouts provided a strong vegetable counterpart combining well with the earthiness of the Jerusalem artichokes. 

At this point, i was satisfied with what I’d eaten so passed up on the opportunity to go for dessert. As I was expecting the bill, a small zabaglione with biscotti turned up. This was okay but this not a criticism because I can’t say I’m a great fan of zabaglione. 

 Chocolate nut caramels and coffee caramels were served with the bill to close out things nicely. 

Overall verdict.
The food at Murano was cooked very skilfully and there were some real highs in the meal. However, the biggest problem with Murano is the sheer formality of the place that drains from the enjoyment of the meal. With a lighter atmosphere it could be so much more satisfactory.

Would I revisit Murano?
Yes. The food is good enough so I’d like to go back to see if Murano becomes more relaxed with time. 

Overall Rating - 4/5