Bocconcino in Mayfair is one of the more approachably priced places to eat on the most expensive square of the Monopoly board, with a decade under its belt serving up pizza around the 20-quid mark (there’s one in Soho, too). Now the group is diversifying with a seafood restaurant on the slowly improving Strand, where The Savoy recently unveiled its new all-day Gallery restaurant and Jeremy King will relaunch Simpson’s in the spring.
The Mood: Life’s a beach
The west coast of Italy has been taken for the mood board, and the Tuscan seaside town of Forte dei Marmi in particular, where smart Milanese and Florentines decamp when they want to hit the beach. The Strand, alas, might not offer quite the same stretch of seven miles of golden sands, but here at Osteria del Mare there are lots of natural wood and stone textures to evoke the pine woods that back on to the beach, all wrapped up in the grand proportions of a former bank, complete with a private dining room hidden away in a former vault and sealed off with the original door.
The Food: Fresh fish and posh pizzas
Yellowtail tartare at Osteria del Mare
A seafood display gives the clue that spanking fresh fish is the house speciality, with the likes of crab, lobster and turbot whipped off the ice and straight into an open kitchen. Given that chef Matteo Massafra has worked in the likes of Six Senses Ibiza and Café Dior, however, it is fair to say he will be rustling up dishes that are rather more luxe than a fritto misto. The menu sparkles with high-end ingredients: yellowfin tuna tartare with celery, caviar, anchovies and tonnato mayo might be followed by risotto with red prawn tartare and porcini mushrooms. Even pizza comes with shavings of black truffle, though not everything is so posh: there’s Margherita and quattro formaggi, too.
Osteria del Mare opened on 9 December 2024 and is available to book now. It is located at 366 Strand, WC2R 0JF, bocconcinorestaurant.co.uk
- See more of London's newest restaurant openings
-
Patek Philippe brings 15 new timepieces to Watches and Wonders 2025The Swiss manufacturer showcases its intricate complications and elegant designs at the annual trade show with a suite of new models
-
Watches & Wonders 2025: preview Richemont’s latest innovations, on show at the Geneva watch fairDiscover eight enticing timepieces from the luxury group, showcased this week at the Geneva fair
-
Masters of midcentury modern design and their creations spotlighted in new book‘Mid-Century Modern Designers’ is a new book from Phaidon celebrating those who shaped the period and their notable creations, from furniture to objects
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s ChelseaPachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
-
A buzzy Korean pop-up becomes a permanent fixture in East LondonChef Joo Won has turned his Calong pop-up permanent in the arty enclave of Stoke Newington
-
New London restaurant Alba is a sun-soaked affairIts name meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is a new Amalfi-inspired restaurant set to shine in Knightsbridge
-
Now boarding Air Anya: Anya Hindmarch’s ode to aviation’s golden ageAnya Hindmarch’s new London concept store and travel accessories collection celebrate the glamour of 1970s air travel
-
‘A place for carnivores’ – Ibai is a London restaurant that celebrates Basque Country beefA Clerkenwell restaurant where unhurried steak is the star of the show
-
La Môme London finds its home at The Berkeley hotelAll the razzle-dazzle of Cannes and Monte Carlo is wrapped up in this one fabulous dining room and terrace in London
-
The new dawn of the London sandwich shopThe appeal of a quick meal between two slices of bread has long held sway in the UK. We look back on the rise of the sandwich shop and explore the new wave of London venues that are making it a more stylised experience
-
London's coolest design-led coffee shops for your Fashion Week fixCoffee shops are the heart of London’s neighbourhoods, discover those fusing speciality beans and stylish interiors for the perfect brew
