Representing an authentic, no-nonsense approach to Italian cooking, Caffe Caldesi forms part of the expanding Caldesi group of restaurants and cookery schools.

The Venue
A welcoming frontage down a Marylebone side street reflects the unpretentious approach lying at the heart of the Caldesi experience. Downstairs houses an informal dining area and bar where lunchtime visitors can sample some of the superior cooking emerging from the kitchens, whilst upstairs is better suited to evening meals. The simply decorated first floor space lets customers, and the food, do the talking. A West End hipster’s hangout this is not, but go expecting an upscale translation of the Italian ristorante concept and you won’t be disappointed.

The Atmosphere
The somewhat awkwardly shaped room does not lend itself to much creativity in terms of table layout, so staff have to make do with what they’ve got. A bar near the stairs houses a dumb-waiter that delivers food from the kitchen below. The buzz of movement and chatter from the (all-Italian) waiters therefore hovers at one end of the room, while the other is altogether more tranquil and benefits from wide windows looking out onto the street.

Internally, the sightlines are good, with each table in view of the other, but this is hardly the place for people watching. Romantic dinners for two, family meals and larger groups will all feel at most comfortable here. Indeed Caffe Caldesi has a laidback, egalitarian feel to it that comes as a refreshing change in this most chi-chi of neighbourhoods.

The Food
Italian through and through, the menu reads like a tour de force of classic regional dishes and lesser-known specialities. There is admittedly a danger of it all seeming a little too advanced for some, but this is merely reflects management’s desire not to water down its authenticity concept. So persevere and call on the staff to offer more detailed explanations of each dish if required.

A generous antipasto Italiano starter is humbly served on a wooden block and comes overflowing with cured meats such as salame, bresaola, prosciutto di Parma and mortadella. Such simplicity relies on quality ingredients of the kind that are readily available in Italy and one suspects that Caffe Caldesi, with all their Italian connections and business interests, have made sure their suppliers are as good as they come. A seasonal combination of wild mushrooms on soft polenta and black truffle is full of rich, woody flavours but would benefit from a more thorough scrubbing of the mushrooms to allow the dish to really shine.

Homemade pizzoccheri pasta with black cale, cabbage, sage and fontina cheese is a dish one would normally expect to find in the Dolomite mountains but nonetheless performs well in its urban setting. The pizzoccheri and several other ingredients such as the chestnut and pheasant ragu sauce will be new to many diners but warrant experimentation nonetheless. Mains are neatly divided into fish and meat, with both the seafood stew and delicately grilled sea bass standing out from the former section. Similarly on the meat side, grilled rib-eye steak and roast duck breast are allowed to stand alone with only the simplest of accompanying sauces to bring out their true flavour. All mains are priced at around the £20 mark.

Desserts feature a tiramisu that could do with a little more kick while a flourless chocolate cake served with Morello cherry ice cream benefits from the use of some superlative cocoa and emerges as the favourite in a concise but varied list.

The Drink
Wines are, perhaps inevitably, all Italian, with plenty to offer in the lower/mid range of £17 - £25 per bottle and several serious Tuscan reds cater to diners after something altogether more challenging. Five reds, three whites and two rose wines are offered by the glass, with most costing under £7 each.

The Last Word
Big on genuine hospitality, Caffe Caldesi offers a commendable interpretation of the Italian restaurant experience for what are arguably fair prices, given the location.

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