Now as my blog title suggests, I love food! But if you were to ask me what my favourite food is, I would have to say Italian. I absolutely love pasta and the fresh simple ingredients used to create amazing Italian cuisine. So the Michelin star Italian restaurant of celebrity Chef Angela Hartnett has been on my bucket list for quite a long time.

I have attempted to book a table at Murano a few times, but it has always been booked up. However, I finally managed to get a table for four on a Saturday night in December and it was so worth the wait!

The restaurant itself is situated in a very quiet street in Mayfair. From the outside it looks a lot like any other independent Italian restaurant. However, as soon as you step inside and see the number of staff working the intimate space, you realise it is anything but a run of the mill restaurant. We were welcomed with warm friendly smiles by the front of house team who took out coats and guided us to our table.

The restaurant was full and had a really nice lively atmosphere, elegant but not at all pretentious. We were walked towards the back of the restaurant, and to our delight we were shown to one of three tables situated outside a giant window, giving you a full view of the incredibly busy kitchen and the amazing chefs as they worked. It was fantastic being able to see the food being created in front of you. We were so lucky and it really added to the overall experience.

Once seated, the maître d came over and asked if we had been before or if we would like her to explain the menu to us? She talked us through the various menu sections and explained how flexible it is. You can choose between two and six courses by combining dishes from the various sections on the menu. The only thing they ask is that you don’t order all three of the meat courses.

Whilst our first course was being prepared, we were treated to some delicious amuse bouche in the form or parmesan goujons and mushroom mousse in a filo cup. The parmesan goujons were melt in your mouth, oozing delicious salty cheese in a delicate light breadcrumb, I could have eaten a whole plateful! Then came the chef’s fresh bread board, a warm rosemary focaccia, a nutty rye bread and breadsticks served with the most amazing tasting olive oil and thin slices of dry cured prosciutto. Delicious and we hadn’t even got to the first course yet!

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The wine list was extensive, about 20 pages long, so we explained the style of red wine we liked, gave a budget and the sommelier suggested three different wines, describing them in detail to help us choose. We went for a Syrah Buccia Nera from Tuscany priced £54. There are a few bottles on the wine list cheaper than this, but not many, so be prepared to pay £40+ for a bottle of wine.

As they went to get us the wine we ordered our food. Three of us opted for the BBQ quail, plum, goose liver with charred sweetcorn and Helen opted for the Wild mushroom cannelloni with parmesan sauce. I nearly talked myself out of ordering the Quail because of the mention of goose liver, but I decided to give it a go anyway!

When the first course arrived, the waitress explained each of the dishes to us. The quail was lovely and pink, melt in your mouth tender and smoky from the BBQ. The sauce was glossy and smoky and the charred sweetcorn was beautifully silky and sweet. But to my surprise the star of the dish was the bit I was most dreading, the goose liver. It was like putting your knife into butter and had such a delicate flavour, nothing like the braised shoe leather style liver I remember from my childhood! I am without a doubt a liver convert! Helen loved her mushroom cannelloni with the salty parmesan sauce which was her favourite part of the dish.

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Three of us went for a four course rather than a three so David and I had the Pumpkin agnolotti, sage butter, crushed amaretti and Helen went for the Carnaroli risotto, scottish girolles, Autumn truffle. Again, I was nearly put off ordering the agnolotti because of the crushed amaretti, as I am not a fan of almond tasting anything, but I am so glad I ignored my doubts once again! The agnolotti was beautifully thin and delicate, full of fresh earthy pumpkin and covered in a light sage butter sauce. As it turned out the crushed amaretti brought the whole dish to life, adding a nice crunch and sweetness to the butter sauce. Helen’s risotto was rich with cream and a very generous topping of truffle which smelt amazing. We were all smiling a lot by this point.

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For the third course, David and I went for the Duck breast, duck leg croquette, savoy cabbage, puy lentils and Paul and Helen went for the Venison, chestnut gnocchi, chanterelles, figs, chocolate. The waiter explained that both the venison and the duck are served medium rare, but they were happy to adjust the cooking of Helen’s venison once we explained that Helen is expecting a baby, so is unable to eat rare meat at the moment, much to her annoyance..!

The duck was cooked perfectly, tender with a crispy skin. The duck leg croquette whilst really tasty was a little bit too strong and gamey for me, but the puy lentils were packed full of flavour as was the duck sauce. The venison dish looked like a work of art, bursting with autumnal colours. Both Paul and Helen loved the bitter chocolate sauce with the perfectly cooked venison and both David and I had to try it. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my duck dish, I think the Venison was on another level and I was a bit regretful that I hadn’t ordered that instead. Good excuse to go back and have it next time.

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Then came the grand finale…dessert…my favourite course! Paul, Helen and I all choose the Chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream. We had eyed other people’s soufflé’s enviously as they passed us by from the kitchen, so my dessert decision was made before we had even had the first course.

David opted for the cheese board, but let’s not judge him for that! When the soufflés came out they stood tall and proud and you could smell the rich chocolate before the spoon even touched them. So light and fluffy inside and oh so chocolatey, the pistachio ice cream gently melting into the hot heaven surrounding it Mmmmm! Oh and David had some cheese which was cheesy!

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And if that wasn’t enough, out came some raspberry macaroons to finish a truly outstanding meal. Paul and David not quite content, decided to finish up with with a Darroze Armagnac 1987, which was served from the dedicated Armagnac and Cognac trolley…yep there are that many to choose from!

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Then came the bill…deep breath! The pricing on the menu is listed per the number of courses you have and not per item – 3 courses £70, 4 courses £85, 5 courses £95 and 6 courses £105. The total, including drinks, which included £56 for the two Armagnacs, came to £547, which included the service charge. Now that might seem quite steep, but for a Michelin star restaurant, with the quality of service and food we experienced, I think it was a bargain and we will definitely be back.