Jennifer Paterson
My favourite summer restaurant is also my local, which is handy. It is the Gran Paradiso, 52 Wilton Road, SW1 (tele- phone 828 5918): owned and run by Sandro Maldini and his lovely wife Uschi, who couldn't be nicer and produce delicious and imaginative food. They gather all the wild mushrooms they can find in the season, so you suddenly get a marvellous dish of funghi when least expecting it, the mushrooms having been dried, frozen or preserved in oil. Wonderful . plates of mixed fishes, real langoustines (not frozen Pacific) served with mayonnaise and excit- ing salad leaves. The great summer feature is the outdoor terrace upstairs, covered in flowers and basil, which is cool and never seems to be in the direct sun. My idea of festiveness is a surprise lunch with Willy Landels at Gran Paradiso. He introduced it to me. There are always a few monsignori gracing the place, which is a very good sign.
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