Franco's - St James, London

Franco's on Jermyn Street has been one of our favourite Italian restaurants for quite some time. We go way back. However, we don't go back as far as Franco's does, to 1945 to be exact. They've just celebrated their 75th year anniversary, and, to do it honour, have relaunched and unveiled a brand new design alongside some excellent new dishes, looking to put it on the leading edge of London cuisine. We dropped in to do a reccie…

The interior design has been orchestrated by Cheah Rothe, celebrated within the industry for her work at Claridge's, The Connaught and The Bulgari Hotel. She's transformed the space with a new tonal grey entrance, a brand new bar area perfect for preprandial perching, and a floor-to-ceiling mirrored dining area thicketed with white tableclothed tables. This was exciting, and upon taking our seats, we were even more chuffed to pore over Stefano Turconi's new menu. 

A starter of vitello tonnato was everything the classic dish should be, with supple, velvety veal and a punchy tuna sauce. On the lighter side of the spectrum, fresh handpicked crab with avocado and citrus was as easy on the waistline as the palate. A main of linguine with lobster, garlic, tomato and chilli followed suit, while a risotto of pumpkin, gorgonzola and sage was a masterwork of autumnal ebullience. We wrapped up with a traditional tiramisu and a Sicilian canolo with pistachio ice cream, both impeccably executed. 

It's great to visit an old love and see that it's aging nicely. Franco's looks poised for another 75 years of excellence.