After going underground in the quirky Old Vic tunnels in October during the Art week, Prêt à Dîner is back in the iconic 50 St James St building in London, going fully Italian this time. Michelin-star food, art and music are the perfect elements for a pop-up dining experience. The main chef behind it is the infamous Giorgio Locatelli; you also get reknowned chef living in Italy, such as the Costardi brothers or Viviana Varese, that cook up the menu in turn throughout fifty days.
The journey started by climbing up a grand marble double staircase only lit by candles, which led us to a majestic room with high ceilings, chandeliers and neon arty touchs. On our table we discovered the surprising menu with its touch of humour – some dishes’ names referring to recent Italian events, like Berlusconi’s Bunga Bunga. We started off with a tuna burger and an oyster-tonic shot, which is not what you would expect from an Italian menu, but hey! innovative cuisine is always interesting to sample. It was followed by more traditional “cucina”, with a delicous gingerbread beef and to finish off some pistacchio cannoli which were to die for.
In between two courses, we advise you to take your glass of wine and go wander around the other rooms. You will find some contemporary art by Italian artists, obviously, as everything has to get along with the « Italians do it better » theme.
The staff was adorable and their service was efficient and perfect, they even let us dance on the hand-made wooden tables at the end of the meal…

If you can’t make it for dinner, do pop by for a drink later in the evening, as it is the team behind 69 Colebrooke Row making the cocktails at the bar (let us enjoy it for once that they are so central!). The DJ will carry you dancing all night. If you manage to, try to dance only on the black squares, although it might be hard after a few cocktails.

Book your table as soon as possible by calling +44 20 7499 4736, and do look out for their Berlin sessions this summer and their Sao Paolo pop-ups in September…