The award-winning Bocconcino in Mayfair has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. Executive Chef Marco Corsica has been at the helm for over a decade, having previously spent nine years under the tutelage of Marco Pierre White. Inspired by the restaurant of the same name in North Tuscany’s Forte dei Marmi, Corsica’s lodestars have always been quality and sustainability, using seasonal, local ingredients. The recipient of the British Restaurant Awards 2023 prize for Best Luxury Restaurant has been so successful that it has spawned not one, but two off-shoots: Boccocino Soho and Osteria Del Mare in Covent Garden.
I visited the original restaurant, located on London’s bougie Berkeley Street, on the corner of Berkeley Square to see if the restaurant would live up to the hype (spoiler: it did).
From the outside, the restaurant makes a striking visual statement, even in an area that is pretty saturated with statement restaurants (Sexy Fish, Novikov, Jeru, to name a few). An arboretum garlands the entrance, which resembles a fantasy woodland grotto. Once inside, the aesthetics are equally glossy and gorgeous. To the right of the reception and coat-checking area, down a spiral staircase, is a basement dining area, which extends to the full height of the restaurant, and is thus wonderfully airy and light. Illuminated orbs and spherical lights hang suspended, like planetary pendulums, over the restaurant and the wood-fired pizza oven, alongside a counter of glistening fresh fish and shellfish.
Once we have handed in our coats, my husband and I are whisked along the glass walkway through to the restaurant at the back of the ground floor. This is an absolutely exquisitely designed space, elegantly blending contemporary and rustic elements, with marble-topped tables, golden-hued lighting, and exposed brickwork, as well as a laudable amount of frondescence. Lanterns hang from the ceiling like iridescent crowns. There are charger plates on the table featuring Testa di Moro busts that my husband comments are redolent of The White Lotus (the season set in Sicily). There are large glass refrigerator cabinets proudly displaying hundreds of bottles of fine Italian wine to the right of the dining space. We sit at a table in the middle of the left side of the restaurant, the perfect perch from which to observe. Even though it is a Sunday evening, every table is occupied and there is a lively ambience, although it doesn’t feel ‘full’.
The menu is capacious, featuring authentic Italian cuisine from various regions of Italy. As with most Italian menus, the choice is wide-ranging, with a plethora of antipasti, zuppe, insalate, primi piatti, contorni, several different types of secondi as well as a whole page dedicated to pizza. By coincidence, a few of the dishes that had caught our eye also featured on the 10th Anniversary Menu, so we went for those.
To begin, I had seared scallops with Jerusalem artichoke, shimeji mushroom and veal jus. The umami rich flavours were simply sublime, and the scallops were firm and fleshy. My husband had parmigiana di melanzane which was rich and satisfying. It’s warm comfort food, the type Italians do best; chunky aubergines enveloped in hearty tomato sauce and smothered in parmesan.
Having heard friends and colleagues rave about the quality of the pizza at Bocconcino, my husband dutifully ordered the Pizza Vegetariana. Effortlessly crisp,with enticing bubbles of crust and with just the right ratio of tomato sauce to toppings he pronounced it a triumph. A bonus was that it contained no less than six of his five a day.
I went for the Dover sole, and on the side had wilted spinach and artichoke salad with avocado and parmesan shavings (the fish and the salad both feature on the 10th Anniversary Menu). The fish was impeccably firm, and flaked off the bone perfectly.
I’m not sure how, but somehow we managed to polish off a couple of puddings. Tiramisu (from the 10th Anniversary Menu) for my husband (he almost always orders this if it is available on a menu, so considers himself somewhat of an expert tiramisu judge). Needless to say, Bocconcino’s was a hit: both presentationally (it was served in a sleek silver cocktail glass), and in terms of taste. I decided to go for the most decadent-sounding option: the chocolate fondant, and it was divine: unctuous, oozy molten chocolate, with some creamy vanilla ice cream.
Our waitress, Adriana, was charming, informative and friendly, and service throughout the meal was warm and efficient. I’ll definitely be back, not least because I want to experience Bocconcino’s recently launched Il Grande Sunday Brunch, a luxury buffet experience that brings together the finest Italian dishes. From lavish seafood offerings such as lobster and oysters, to traditional antipasti, wood-fired pizzas, and freshly made pastas, guests and enjoy the best of classic Italian cuisine, followed by popular desserts including tiramisu and Siciallian cannoli. With a variety of dishes to satisfy all tastes, a glass of champagne on arrival, as well as some live music– it's the perfect way to add a touch of sparkle to your weekend! Available every Sunday, 12pm - 5pm, £80 per person.
19 Berkeley St, London, W1J 8ED
Il Grande Sunday Bruch at Bocconcino.
