Il Baretto - Marylebone, London

Every neighbourhood is in need of a swank Italian, dimly lit with just the right amount of gloss to entice along with perfect, unflappable culinary standards. For Marylebone, this restaurant has been Il Baretto, since it originally launched in 2009. Now with a sleek refurb, it appears to have transported a Mayfair ambience north of Oxford Street. Interior designer David D'Almada claims bragging rights for this, refitting the room with dark mahogany tables, leather banquette seating, an open glass wine cellar, exposed brickwork and an open plan pastry kitchen.

D'Almada has also streamlined the upstairs bar area with a more inviting layout, perfect for casual dining with a view of busy Blandford Street and across to the forthcoming Andre Balazs hotel. Il Baretto is owned by the Waney brothers (Coya, Zuma, La Petite Maison) and as with their other projects, the food is impeccable.

Standouts from the menu included a phenomenal Fassone beef tartar with quail's egg; burrata with a corona of silken parma ham; al dente macheroni with saucer sized slices of black truffle and an almost obscenely unctuous pecorino sauce; pappardelle with duck ragout; and an excellent sea bass baked within a salt crust. For dates, business ideas or catching up with friends in Marylebone, Il Baretto hits it on the nail.