October marks the start of truffle season in London when the fresh, rich, and more-ish truffle reaches its peak aroma and taste. Over the next few weeks, expect an abundance of seasonal fresh Italian truffles popping up at London’s finest restaurants, with bespoke truffle dishes spoiling you for choice across many of the city’s best menus.
Earthy, rich, and oh-so luxurious – here’s where to get your truffle fix this season.
Harry’s Bar
Italian cuisine and the good life come together perfectly in the form of Harry’s Bar. The James Street restaurant oozes Venetian grandeur, European sophistication and, most importantly, exquisite truffle dishes.
Start with truffle arancini and Harry’s Taglionoli – a hearty delicious blend of truffle, parmesan and cream stirred into the pasta – before moving on to a mouthwatering Truffled Chicken served in a creamy mascarpone truffle sauce with sautéed mushrooms, parsley and garlic.
Or, indulge in a truffle-topped pizza with wild mushrooms, Gorgonzola cheese, garlic, baby spinach and flaked Parmesan.
WHERE: 30 -34 JAMES ST, LONDON W1U 1ER
WEBSITE: WWW.HARRYS-BAR.CO.UK
Meraki
Meraki has got truffle breakfasts covered. The signature Rosti Greek Style has been quite the hit at the Fitzrovia-based restaurant, where truffle shavings are scattered over the dish alongside crunchy potatoes, sunny-side-up eggs, truffle and Cretan butter.
Later, for dinner, there’s also the Beef Brisket ‘Makaronaki’ – 16-hour braised beef, short pasta and graviera cheese with black truffle.
WHERE: 80-82 GREAT TITCHFIELD ST., LONDON W1W 7QT
WEBSITE: WWW.MERAKI-RESTAURANT.COM
Benares
Nothing makes us happier than comfort food this time of year – especially when restaurants add truffles into the mix.
Here, we’re talking about Benares and their Essex farm chicken momo; a rich Italian truffle soup with slow-roasted chestnut crumble and a chicken dumpling, topped with a generous amount of black winter truffle shavings.
WHERE: 12A BERKELEY SQUARE, LONDON W1J 6BS
WEBSITE: WWW.BENARESRESTAURANT.COM
Truffle Burger
The clue’s in the name… Seven Dials burger experts Truffle Burger celebrate all things truffle-infused, giving London some of the best truffle and parmesan fries around, and ladling truffle into their iconic burgers. Think succulent meats topped with truffle mayonnaise, truffle and parmesan glaze, truffle burger sauce, truffle honey and truffle butter.
The food hall, in the heart of Seven Dials, is full of tasty eateries and is the ideal place to escape in search of affordable truffley goodness.
WHERE: 35 EARLHAM ST, LONDON WC2H 9LD
WEBSITE: WWW.TRUFFLE-LONDON.CO.UK
Circolo Popolare
We’d be impressed with this restaurant purely for its stunning interiors – think Sicilian trattoria with string lights, pretty foliage, and thousands of bottles lining the walls – but we’re even more impressed by its dishes, especially when there’s truffle involved.
For an indulgent meal, order their signature Nothing But The Truffle pizza with fresh black truffle, fior di latte mozzarella, smoky provola, black truffle cream, 22-month Parmigiano and chives. Or for a decadent pasta dish, order the Mafaldine Al Tartufo – house special fresh mafalda, black Molise truffle, indulgent truffle and mascarpone cream.
WHERE: 40-41 RATHBONE PL, LONDON W1T 1HX
WEBSITE: WWW.BIGMAMMAGROUP.COM
Quaglino’s
There’s a slightly different vibe over at Quaglino’s, where the restaurant’s expert mixologists have taken Cambridge Gin’s Truffle Gin and paired it with classic and contemporary flavours to create a speciality menu like no other. Throughout truffle season (Monday 3rd October – Saturday 12th November) guests will be able to enjoy Truffle in an entirely new way, with tipples that highlight all the elements of its flavour. Delicate, heady, earthy, rich: each cocktail brings a spectrum of intense and subtle flavours.
The menu is made up of five cocktails, including the Four Seasons – Cambridge Truffle Gin, Cocchi Di Torino Sweet Vermouth and Fernet Branca; and The Magic Fizz – Cambridge Truffle Gin, Peach & Basil Cordial, Lemon Juice, Perrier sparkling and Magic Peach Foam on top.
WHERE: 16 BURY ST, ST. JAMES’S, LONDON SW1Y 6AJ
WEBSITE: WWW.QUAGLINOS-RESTAURANT.CO.UK
Pied à Terre
Wednesday 2 November sees Michelin-starred Pied à Terre’s Head Chef Asimakis Chaniotis, cook a special truffle dinner to celebrate all things “tuber melanosporum” (black truffle). Priced at £180 for eight courses, diners will be wowed with dishes like Assiette of Fallow Deer with blackberries, Jerusalem artichoke and black truffle sauce; and Single Muscle Beef Tartare with smoked eel and grated black truffle.
Wondering what’s for dessert? Think Truffled Beetroot Sorbet with yuzu.
WHERE: 34 CHARLOTTE ST., LONDON W1T 2NH
WEBSITE: WWW.PIED-A-TERRE.CO.UK
The Game Bird
The Game Bird, the restaurant centrepiece of The Stafford, is a Handbook favourite and the new Autumn menu includes truffley delights.
To start, indulge in roast celeriac consommé with tiny ravioli and truffle. Then for another truffle-rich dish, try the free-range Chicken Kyiv. Slice it open and it oozes out an indulgent 120g of truffle butter (the restaurant even provides a leather bib to prevent any spillages). The Chicken Kyiv is served with creamy pomme puree, topped with (yep, you guessed it) truffle shavings, just in case you couldn’t get enough of it.
WHERE: THE STAFFORD, 16-18, ST JAMES’S PL, ST. JAMES’S, LONDON SW1A 1NJ
WEBSITE: WWW.THESTAFFORDLONDON.COM
Eataly
The Italian market hall at Liverpool Street is London’s go-to for truffle shopping, but you can also have it cooked for you the proper Italian way thanks to the restaurants at the venue. Discover a delicious truffle menu at Pasta e Pizza, from Pizza Uovo E Tartufo to truffle-infused burrata with fig and truffle ice cream, with the very finest wines selected to accompany each dish so you can experience the very best taste and flavour.
Meanwhile, at Terra, treat yourself to truffle shavings over any dish you like, or try the Diamante di Terra, a truffle-infused cocktail made with Taggiasco Extra Vir-Gin, Spelt Vodka, Cinzano 1757, smoked rosemary and finished with drops of the finest truffle oil.
WHERE: 135 BISHOPSGATE, LONDON EC2M 3YD
WEBSITE: WWW.EATALY.CO.UK
ArrosQD
ArrosQD knows how to create a delicious dish, and that’s exactly what they’ve done this Autumn whilst putting decadent truffles at the forefront.
The Fitzrovia restaurant combines opulent dishes with luxurious interiors, with the stand-out dish being the truffle bomb – ‘liquid’ egg yolk, truffle, pancetta and potato pastry.
WHERE: 64 EASTCASTLE ST, LONDON W1W 8NQ
WEBSITE: WWW.ARROSQD.COM
Corrigan’s
If anyone knows about truffles it’s Richard Corrigan. So much that you can find plenty of it at his namesake restaurant.
Head down for a wealth of truffle options, whether it’s the Delica Pumpkin Gnocchi with Wiltshire Truffle, the Yorkshire Grouse with Autumn Truffle, or the Provençal guinea fowl with ceps, Sicilian lemon and Wiltshire truffle. The staff might even shave their fungi finds onto the rest of the menu’s dishes for you (if you ask nicely).
WHERE: 28 UPPER GROSVENOR ST, LONDON W1K 7EH
WEBSITE: WWW.CORRIGANSMAYFAIR.CO.UK
Cicchetti Knightsbridge
Made fresh to order, Cicchetti serves up freshly prepared regionally inspired plates for an authentic truffle experience.
On the menu is their signature Truffle and Pecorino Ravioli, a deliciously creamy dish topped with shavings of truffle, ready to be paired with a salad and crisp glass of wine.
WHERE: 6 HANS RD, LONDON SW3 1RX
WEBSITE: WWW.SANCARLO.CO.UK
By The Handbook
Harry’s Bar
Meraki
Benares
Truffle Burger
Circolo Popolare
Quaglino’s
Pied à Terre
The Game Bird
Eataly
ArrosQD
Corrigan’s
Cicchetti Knightsbridge
