Harry's Dolce Vita - Knightsbridge & Belgravia, London

Over the years, Caprice Holdings has proven itself to be one of Britain's most industrious restaurant groups, rolling out old classics and new classics alike in a way that defines the social fabric of the city. Whilst old school institutions like Scott's, The Ivy and J Sheekey remain cultural touchstones, Caprice isn't afraid to roll the dice on a new venture like Sexy Fish. Harry's Dolce Vita sits somewhere between the two. Inspired by Harry's Bar in London and the seminal Harry's Bar in Venice, the restaurant brings a healthy portion of mid-Century Italian glamour to Knightsbridge, with plenty of punchy bellinis mixed in for good measure.

Situated just south of Harrods in a neighbourhood as British as a black cab or red telephone booth, Harry's Dolce Vita is situated in a long, narrow room flanked on its interior by a cocktail bar and on its exterior by al fresco seating. The room is replete with Murano glass, Fortuny fabrics, vintage brass fixtures and tanned leather banquettes. The walls are hung with a colourful collection of artworks ranging from monochromatic photos of classic filmstars to modernist portraits and landscape work. Gorgeous brass pendant lights illuminate a shiny mirrored ceiling.

Diego Cardoso, formerly head chef at the Michelin-starred Murano, has done a fine job of bringing unfussy Italian classics up-to-date. To complement our bellinis, we selected a couple options from the cichetti section. A bowl of miniature truffle arancini was generously apportioned - good to share between four or more. Crisp pizzetta topped with raw tuna, truffle citrus dressing, tomatoes and basil was light and toothsome. Tuna tonnato was similarly saline, swapping out the customary veal for raw yellowfin tuna. However, our favourite dish was hands down the Harry's tagliolini - the thin pasta gratinated with truffle, parmesan and cream. It was one of the richest, most unctuous dishes we've sampled in 2018.

For our mains we enjoyed seafood spaghetti, the pasta laden with a fisherman's bounty of prawn, squid, clams and mussels, then spiked with chilli and parsley. The veal parmesan was a throwback to the red sauce joints of midtown Manhattan, fried to an ineffable crispness and then baked with buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil and parmesan. For dessert we enjoyed the Harry's Toadstool - one of the most aesthetically adventurous dishes we've had to date. Crafted from white chocolate, raspberries, mascarpone and an iced vanilla parfait, the Mario Brothers style toadstool is poured over with a warm pistachio sauce.

All in, Harry's Dolce Vita feels concurrently classic and fresh. For anyone looking for a casual yet accomplished bite on a Harrods shopping excursion, HDV is one of Knightbridge's sweetest spots.

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