Review on Margot Restaurant
October 2016 saw the smart new arrival of Margot, occupying a prime site in Covent Garden that formerly housed the Indian restaurant Moti Mahal for more than ten years. The driving force behind this restaurant is Paulo de Tarso, one of London's most acclaimed maître d's having worked at Bar Boulud in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and Nicolas Jaouën a recent director at Alain Ducasse's Rivea in Knightsbridge.
Laid out over two floors the interiors have been given an elegant makeover by Fabled Studio, taking inspiration from the architecture and design of Italian greats Giò Ponti and Carlo Mollino. The main dining room is set around the open kitchen where guests can watch all the action of the chefs at work. Flooded by natural light from the large windows, while majestic pillars are dotted with turquoise marble domes. Tables are well-laid with crisp white linen and there's a long dining bar for charcuterie service.
Italian born Maurizio Morelli is the Executive Chef heading the kitchen having previously worked in highly regarded restaurants such as The Hassler in Rome and Stefano Cavallini at The Halkin, as well as opening Latium in 2003 as Chef Patron. Open your account with polpo stufato, stewed octopus, chick pea puree, escarole and marjoram or vitello tonnato, roast veal, tuna and mayonnaise sauce, baby carrots and green bean salad. You could opt for a pasta dish next such as tagliolini con gamberi rossi, tagliolini with Sicilian red prawns, artichokes and cherry tomatoes or elsewhere there's sella di cervo arrosto, roast saddle of venison, savoy cabbage, pumpkin sauce, glazed chestnuts. Desserts stay close to home with baba al rum, rum baba, tangerine cream and orange sauce or tiramisú with chocolate heart, Amaretto sauce.
Service is super slick, friendly and as smooth as silk, with a wine list offering plenty of selections from Italy, but there's a healthy mix of other regions and grapes, with a good variety available by the glass.
Cuisine
Italian
Chef
Maurizio Morelli
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 3.00pm (12.00 - 3.30pm Sat & Sun)
Dinner: 5.30 - 10.45pm (9.45pm Sun)
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express