IN 1987, Jean-Charles Carrarini and his wife, Roz, opened a
French epicerie in Marylebone High Street. Villandry's prices were not low, but the goods were of high quality: French cheese came in excellent condition, and you could buy foie gras, jars of pâté, lentils, good jams and other staples of French cuisine. After a year or two, the Carrarinis decided to expand the rear of the shop into a small dining-room to serve croissant-adorned breakfasts and light lunches. Although the surroundings were cramped and service sometimes haphazard, the cooking was much admired and busi- ness grew. So it was no great shock when the successful couple decided to move to more spacious premises, half a mile away, in Great Portland Street, where, at the end of October, Villandry Foodstore Restau- rant opened at number 170.
The foodstore, behind full-length plate- glass windows on Great Portland Street, is now huge, with a spacious restaurant seat- ing 80 behind it, with its own plate-glass entrance from Bolsover Street. They now do dinner every night except Sunday, when there is brunch, but lunch seemed a more appropriate Marylebone meal, so la belle gotomande, Nathalie Jarnot, and I went there to try it. When we arrived at one, the place was full of business folk and we were shown to a small table in a noisy room, where it took some time to procure menus and then give our order to harassed staff.
The menu is commendably short — sug- gesting that the food is freshly prepared with a soup and four starters, four main dishes and six sweets. Nathalie opted for charcuterie followed by seared cod, and I decided to try the soup of the day, celeriac and wild mushroom, followed by pork chop in polenta broth with cavolo nero. Further evidence of an overburdened staff was apparent from the long wait which fol- lowed. Finally, after half an hour, the starters arrived with the bottle of beaujolais nouveau, reasonably priced at £11, which, had it arrived earlier, might have curbed our impatience.
My soup was hot, plentiful, and tasted positively of the celeriac and wild mush- rooms, and Nathalie's charcuterie com- prised a good selection from the deli- catessen counter outside, pleasantly gar- flushed with green and black olives and cor- nichons. Main courses came more swiftly, and Nathalie much enjoyed her impeccably cooked cod — very fresh fish — in a mussel and pernod sauce garnished with diced tomato and potato. My pork chop in a very thick polenta gravy was on the heavy side, though well accompanied by strong-tasting cavolo nero; the alternative meat main course — braised lamb shank — looked unduly similar to it. After this Nathalie still had room for some sticky toffee pudding, well made with suet, and we both ended with coffee.
Then I asked for the bill, and when it came I found it was another table's, though table numbers are clearly marked on cards, and for much less than the correct total of £50. I pointed the error out to the manage- ment and suggested they look again at the staffing question; at lunchtime especially, customers need to be speedily and accu- rately served.
The space left in Marylebone High Street by Villandry has been neatly filled by an interesting new Italian restaurant, Ibla (named after a town in south-western Sici- ly), belonging to Luciano Pellicano who, after 20 years in the Mayfair fashion jungle, has done what he always wanted to do: open a restaurant. His chef is the 24-year- old Roman, Maurizio Morelli, previously of the Hassler in Rome and the Lanesbor- ough here, and the cooking is from Rome and the south of Italy. I went there with Flora Harvey, bubbling with excitement at the prospect of launching her new compa- ny, H & H, which will provide private din- ners with music for the discerning.
Lunch at Ibla is reasonably priced at £13 for two courses, £16 for three, and the full antipasto selection is £9 as a meal in itself, or can be taken on a smaller scale as a first course. Flora took it to start with, and a magnificent selection it was, white onion quiche, duck and vegetable galantine, swiss chard and stuffed courgettes being notable constituents. My freshly made fettuccine with marjoram and wild mushrooms were delicious, as was my succulent lamb pinkly roasted with artichokes and mint. Flora's main course was less successful, the intend- ed grey mullet having been replaced by sea bass, which proved too delicately fleshed to be served au gratin. To end, we shared an unusual and exciting ricotta and cinnamon pudding and with the meal we drank a splendidly sun-baked Sicilian red, Cerasuo- lo di Vittoria, at just £10 the bottle. With coffee and service included, our thoroughly enjoyable lunch in the deep-red painted dining-room came to just £47.30 — excel- lent value. But Signor Pellicano must watch out: the following Sunday I returned for lunch and service had slackened, with dish- es served far from hot. Moreover, some of the best things in the antipasto — like the galantine and the onion quiche — had dis- appeared and had not been replaced. Let us hope such growing pains will become fewer and further between and Ibla will prove a truly valuable addition to Maryle- bone eating.
Uberto's Ristorante Campana has sat opposite Ibla in the High Street since 1962 and shows little signs of flagging. Very much the haunt of local Howard de Walden flat-dwellers, it is invariably full of `regulars' and, as an Italian of the timeless- ly old school, is unquestionably the 'restau- rant du quartier'. The cooking may not be exciting, but, my goodness, it's reliable. I went there to lunch with the distinguished stage designer Ralph Koltai, who was relax- ing after his brilliant recent retrospective exhibition at the Lethaby Gallery at Cen- tral St Martin's. We discussed his forth- coming productions of Suddenly Last Sum- mer at Nottingham Playhouse and Verdi's Nabucco at the amphitheatre festival in Orange. Ralph chose stracciatelle, 'always a good test, and I'm a good judge — this one is all right, not stodgy', followed by a steak tartare which also gained the maestro's approval.
I took the excellent £14.95 set menu: three courses plus a glass of wine and cof- fee — terrific value. The fresh spinach soup, escalope of chicken sauté with capers and lemon, and homemade cheese cake were all highly enjoyable. Restaurants may come and go, but Uberto and La Campana will doubtless last for ever.
Villandry: 170 Great Portland Street, London W1; tel: 0171 631 3131. Closed Sunday evening.
Ibla: 89 Marylebone High Street, London Wl; tel: 0171 224 3799. Closed Sunday din- ner and Monday.
Ristorante La Campana: 31 Marylebone High Street, London WI; tel: 0171 935 5307. Closed Sunday.
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