The Dorset Square Hotel, one of London’s nicest boutique hotels, has always had its own restaurant. This has recently been completely refurbished and sparkles like a glass of prosecco under its new name, Osteria dell’Orologio.

The Venue
The hotel overlooks Dorset Square, the original home from 1787 of Thomas Lord’s cricket ground before it moved north to St John’s Wood in 1814. The basement restaurant of the Dorset Square Hotel was, up until recently, called The Potting Shed, a name it had borne for many a long year, cultivating its prominent gardening theme with pots, tools, watering cans and all the attendant accoutrements of a garden shed. All these have been cleared away (along with its former rather tired menu), except for the wheelbarrow by the front door. Now the space has become a very nice and shiny new Italian restaurant.

Completely redesigned with light wood everywhere, it is a room with a sunny aspect, which may sound odd as basement places are generally dark and forbidding. Even below stairs the glass roof allows brightness to pour in on the new Osteria and all is gleaming sweetness and light. Entry from the pavement is via the outside staircase leading down to the restaurant, although admittance can also be made through the hotel reception area.

The Atmosphere
Even on a wet weekday lunchtime in November Osteria dell’Orologio (literally translated it means the hostelry of the clockmaker) seems to be a haven of tranquillity. The smallish room (up to maybe sixty covers) divides into two with a step down, and there are alcoves along one wall, suitable for bookings of four or six diners. One alcove has a sofa and easy chairs for relaxing with a pre-prandial drink, which would be served from the long bar at the far end. The walls are decorated with evocative black and white photographs of iconic Italian places and products. It really is a nice room and the new decor does it full justice. There is at least one clock to tie in with the horological name of the restaurant.

The Food
Pasquale Amico is the head chef and his avowed policy is to combine great simplicity with great taste with a selection of contemporary Italian recipes made with fresh ingredients. This is an admirable aim and, judging by the results of his labours he has succeeded. The main menu offers two courses at £16.50, three for £21.50 or four for £24.50, all reasonable prices for today’s market. The antipasti include swordfish carpaccio with citrus fruit, a board of Italian salami with homemade pickles and Burrata cheese with beef tomatoes and basil. The pasta choices are ravioli filled with prawns and Italian artichokes, potato gnocchi with pesto and sun-dried cherry tomatoes and minestrone soup. Main courses could be pan-fried breast of duck, roasted fillet of sea bass and swordfish steak.

The admirable set lunch menu is just £10 for two courses or £14 for three. The antipasti here include parmigiana di melanzane, slices of baked aubergine with tomato and mozzarella, a beautifully fresh flavoured dish, served piping hot and offering a real taste of authentic Italian cooking. The thinly sliced slivers of cured beef for the bresaola also make a perfect starter. Packed with flavour, the slices are draped over a little heap of shredded raw celeriac and lemon salad. The acidity of these ingredients is a good contrast to the smoothness of the sliced beef.

Fish, chicken and pasta are the main course lunch choices. The Paillard di pollo is a plainly grilled chicken breast with a rocket and tomato salad. The fish, filetto di triglia alla Livornese, is a portion of pan-fried red mullet in a lemon and caper sauce. This is a masterly way of serving fish, simple presentation with a sauce that highlights rather than disguises the true flavour of the fish. Agnolotti del plin burro e salvia is a pasta dish of tiny little parcels filled with a mixture of beef and pork mixed with butter and sage – again so fresh and delicious, it makes you want to go on eating them all day. And this is the only cavil: as marvellous as the starters and main courses are on the set lunch menu, there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot on the plate. Maybe small portions keep prices down and you could always order extra vegetables such as roast potatoes, spinach or zucchini fritte, but then they would put another £2.50 each on the bill.

No problem with the desserts because the honeycomb ice cream and the tiramisu arrive in large cocktail glasses. The honeycomb in the ice cream makes a nice change from the more regular flavours and it gives the cold dessert a nice crunch. The tiramisu must be one of the best in London – scrumptiously marinated sponge cake under a pile of gooey cream topped with chocolate dust, this is a real pick-me-up.

The Drink
It’s an all-Italian wine list with a good selection of reds, whites and a single rose. Whites start at £16.50 for the house bottle, Malvasia Ortonese, rising to £48 for a Greco di Tufo, via Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio, Chardonnay, Gavi di Gavi and Lacryma Christi. In the reds there is a Sangiovese Merlot Ortonese at £16.50 for the house bottle, with Montepulciano, Dolcetto D’Alba, Pinot Nero, Chianti Classico and others at prices up to £82 for the Brunello di Mantalcino 2003. Some, including the house wines, are available by the glass from £4.50 and there’s a half bottle of Pinot Grigio, too. The house red and white wines are both very good for their fairly modest prices.

The Last Word
It is good that the restaurant at the Dorset Square Hotel, after a period in the doldrums, has returned to being as good or even better than it used to be. The new Italian menu is just right and, if the food leaves you wanting more, this must surely be a sign of its excellence. Highly recommended.

View®  Card offers venue information venue map view london review write a review image gallery (3) book a table