Enoteca Turi - Knightsbridge & Belgravia, London

It's not Giuseppe Turi's first rodeo. It was only eight years after moving to London, in 1990, when he launched his first restaurant in Putney. A cool 26 years later, he's moved Enoteca Turi to Pimlico Road, just a stone's throw away from Sloane Square. Turi's brand of Italian is best suited for the discriminating palate, and we were pleasantly pleased when we popped in to visit on a rainy Wednesday evening. 

The dining room is a long, elegant affair with a cool, funky undertone. Yellow brick lines one wall and a full-length mirror the other, offering a dramatic sense of space. At the far end of the dining room there's a transparent wine case housing Enoteca Turi's extensive range, chosen by Giuseppi, who formerly worked as sommelier at The Connaught and holds the wine diploma from WSET. Tables are clad in smart white tablecloths, with dark wooden chairs matching the dark oak floorboards. Taken as a piece, the room reflects the elegance that the Italian peninsula has become synonymous with. 

There are some very reasonably priced Italian wines on the list, and we opted for a La Tunella Cabernet Franc, which lovely to sip whilst nibbling on oven-crisp grissini. From here we kicked off our meal with some small pasta plates. Tuscan-style handmade square spaghetti with duck ragout and dried peppers was a real joy - with sumptuous duck flesh insinuating itself amongst al dente pasta. We were similarly smitten with a Sicilian-style risotto with smoked aubergine, baked ricotta, baby plum confit and a tomato emulsion. 

For our mains we enjoyed a slow-cooked pork collar steak with braised endive, dried lemon and shallot ash, which toed the line of haute cuisine, a far cry from the rustic prototype you'd find in Campania. Rump of lamb with aubergine chutney, goat's cheese and caponata hit all the marks of a homey dish. We rounded off the meal with a tiramisu where you can regulate the amount of cream you want on your own, as well as an affogato, both of which were pitch perfect. 

All in, we were very pleased with Enoteca Turi. For anyone looking for top-class Italian in Pimlico, this fits the bill. And if you need to seal or celebrate the deal, there's a private wine room downstairs for large groups.