Tentazioni

my dad and I simply LOVE this place and as Italians we can ensure you that the food is TRULY Italian and amazing. Staff is incredibly kind and friendly that it is almost unbelievable! We have been there for 3 consecutive times by now and always had a WONDERFUL evening. Everytime we go back we cannot stop praising about the food. I have been living in London for 3 years and I think this is the best Italian restaurant I have been so far. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Giulia
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 22, 2011

We have been regulars at this restaurant for years visiting roughly 2 or 3 times each year. However, our latest recent visit with friends was so poor an experience ae will not return. Average food but totally unprofessional & non existent service. We were seated then ignored for almost 15 mins. Every course was delivered wrongly with at least 1 out of the 6 of us without food. It took 3 hours to serve 3 courses and when we attracted the managers attention as we finished dessert he fought the bill instead of offering coffee. Embarrassing for all of us. We see that on the website they are doing jazz nights etc. Need to concentrate on serving good food efficiently which they did not manage but had cheek to charge over £40 service.
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2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Sunday, October 16, 2011

I went here as it was recommended by some Italians and as I have lived in Italy for 5 years I was expecting great things. The food was ok, I didn't think it was particularly special - we had different carpaccio to start with which is't hard to get wrong. Stuffed pasta with crab and monkfish - the pasta was very heavy and dense but the thing that was most distasteful was being expected to pay £1 for tap water. Any restaurant that would charge for this, will not get my custom again.
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Kaye - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, October 10, 2011

I will start with an apology to Tentazioni - for not having been here before seeing i live 2 mins walk from the restaurant.

I took my heavily pregnant girlfriend to enjoy a night off before impeding birth and i/she could not sing enough praise.

I had ravioli with foie gras for starters and my girlfriend had the mascaporne with sun dried tomatoes (she still swears this is the best starter she's EVER had). For me the main just took the whole dining experience to a whole different ball game! Steak with patato gratin & foie gras whilst my girlfiend had past with crab and munk fish..!! The service, presentation, the food, the setting, attention to detail was second to none!!! How this restaurant is not a michelin star is a travesty!! Even the wine recommended by the maitre'd was 1st class!!

I cant wait to go back!!

If the staff are reading this, THANK YOU for a fantastic evening.
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A very happy customer - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 18, 2011

I had the utmost pleasure of being invited to this amazing restaurant by a client - what a brilliant restaurant and one that lives up to its reputation. The food was beautiful, the service was fantastic and the price was, exceptional value for money. I thoroughly recommend Tentazioni Restaurant to anybody who wants to enjoy a gourmet meal at a restaurant who really cares for their customers.
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Mathew Smith
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 17, 2011

The service here was excellent, although we went on a cold night and the restaurant was pretty cold too - I felt cold the whole evening. I was excited about my burrata starter, which was supposed to come with cherry tomatoes and basil; unfortunately the burrata was rather tasteless, it came with regular size tomatoes which were also tasteless, and a rather mean sprinkling of basil. For £11, this very disappointing. I didn't even finish it, and that is most unlike me! My ravioli main was very nice, but not outstanding, but the tiramisu was excellent. I had high expectations of this place, but they were not met. That's not to say I wouldn't try it again.
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8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I found this restaurant nearly a year ago and since then I enjoy going there frequently.

We went there recently again to celebrate my birthday and this time with parents, for their very first time in this Italian. What can I say? It was an amazing evening, we loved all the dishes we have ordered and my parents could not stop smiling the whole evening.

Tasty traditional Italian food. Warm and friendly service. One great chef - Ricardo.

No wonder it is considered on of the best Italians it town. It is.

I'll be back. Again and Again.
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Aloni San - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, November 12, 2010

I must say that we love Tentazioni, not only for the impeccable food but for the accommodating environment and its special staff.

Everything is great and the staff takes a great pleasure in looking after you!

We went last night with friends and, like always, we had unforgettable experiences

Thanks guys and see you soon.
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Fabrizio & Gigi
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, May 08, 2010

Tentazioni Restaurant is just BRILLIANT! My boyfriend and I go there everytime we can and we enjoy every single moment spent there. Everything is perfect, from the friendly and professional service to the incredibly delicious food. The chef is an artist, he doesn't just cook, he creates new dishes and flavour and all the times we go there we can't wait to find out what's new (he introduces new dishes quite often). Best rating for this fab Italian restaurant which successfully shows that Italian food is not just bolognese!
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Stella
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 21, 2010

As somewhere sometimes touted as one of the best Italians in London, this didn't really live up to the mark. There was nothing wrong with it, it was above average, but only just into good territory, and a long way off great.

Prior to starters, we had a little amuse that was a deep fried ball of spinach and creamy sauce, nice enough, but a little stodgy really. Bread was ciabbatta, and there was no oil or butter with it, and only one slice was offered. The one slice was fine, nice airy texture, some bits of olive, but not in any way exceptional, which if you aim to be the top Italian in London and you only offer one bread, it ought to be. I started properly with black tagliolini with dorset crab meat, in a tomato and basil sauce. This was pleasant enough, very fishy, the black pasta with a good clear squid taste, but the crab wasn't especially sweet so not particularly well sourced. In the tomato sauce it looked a bit messy, so neither presentation nor overall flavour lifted it much above the norm.

For mains, I opted for a rack of lamb with a timbale of celeriac and mint sauce. I rather liked the celeriac timbale, but the lamb was yet again good not great. To clarify, it was nicely medium rare, and had a decent amount of flavour, but was not exceptional, so again sourcing was not the best. It was fine though, and went well with the nicely matched celeriac and had good presentation. The real let down was the mint sauce, it was really quite sweet and gloopy, tasted like a cornflour heavy sauce, and was bordering I'm afraid on packet food.

I also had a side which gives a good opportunity to have an aside on how the menu structure was not really very Italian- starters, mains and sides, rather than antipasti, primi etc. Also, whilst the starters seemed quite seasonal, eg a beetroot ravioli, the mains didn't particularly and more obviously, the sides didn't seem seasonal at all. For my side I had green beans which came with parmesan, which looked powdered but in fairness was clearly fresh, just finely grated and some sweet red shallots. This was a pleasant combination, but not especially seasonal and as a result lacking vibrancy.

Moving on to desserts, I had chocolate pudding with cream and red berries. My friend had the same and on the presentation front I note that his looked rather better than mine which had collapsed quite a lot. A simple dish, but I can't fault the taste of the chocolate pudding with sharp berries contrasting nicely.

We were on a deal, with 50% off a la carte food prices, which should mean we were getting the normal food, but nothing about it made me think it could be a real contender for best in London. That said it was certainly above average, and on the deal it was £70 for 2 including a bottle of cortese. That was a real bargain, and I'd go back on 50% off. But full price it would have been £120, and thats with one of the cheapest bottles on a not very good value winelist. There's no chance I'd go back at full wack, and accepting that restaurants have off days, nothing I had, especially with the less than great sourcing of key ingredients, suggested this can really be a contender for one of the best Italians in London.

I should note though that whilst décor was fading, it was an attractive space, and service was really very good, friendly, helpful and with unobtrusive wine pouring. As an example, no mention was made of the toptable offer, so if I hadn't told him, my friend needn't have known about it.
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8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, December 01, 2009