eat in, eat out Luca

Serving up refined Italian classics, Luca has fast become a London institution

- ROBERT CHAMBERS

Sister restaurant to The Clove Club, Luca's marriage of Italian cooking with seasonal British ingredients has won legions of fans since it first opened in 2016. Sleek, softly lit interiors with mid-century accents (or try the leafy terrace, fringed with jasmine and olive trees) set the scene for head chef Robert Chambers' modern interpretation of Italian food. Start with antipasti of roast Orkney scallops with jerusalem artichoke and 'nduja, or Hereford beef tartare, then move on to plates of handmade pasta perhaps tortelli of sheep's milk ricotta with peas and Jersey Royals, or agnolotti carbonara with speck, cured egg yolk and puffed quinoa. Secondi feature the likes of cannon of Hebridean lamb with wild garlic, and Corno pepper cooked over hazelwood. Drinks might start with a glass of sparkling franciacorta or seasonal bellini, before diving into a robustly Italian wine list. luca.restaurant

Negroni highball

5 MINUTES SERVES 1 EASY

negroni batch 50ml (equal measures of gin, Campariand rosso vermouth)

lemon juice 25ml

sugar syrup 5ml

orange bitters a dash

blood orange soda orange slice to garnish

1 Add the first four ingredients to a highball glass. Fill with ice, gently stir and top up with blood orange soda. Garnish with an orange slice.

Italian scotch olives

Luca serves these with a confit garlic mayo seasoned with a little lemon juice, and crispy sage leaves.

35 MINUTES SERVES 6 AS A STARTER A LITTLE EFFORT