With so many clever concept restaurants popping up in London, sometimes I just love going to a restaurant that serves classic food cooked simply. As someone who frequently chooses restaurants on the basis of their Instagram feed, Bernardi’s caught my eye and I loved the fact that they buck the latest trends and just serve good Italian food made from the finest produce.
Like the menu, the restaurant decor is classic, with dark wood floors, black leather chairs and marble topped tables. The location is also great, in Seymour Street near Marble Arch and Marylebone, it’s very central and perfect for shopping, or finding a wine bar after dinner.
I was with my bestie Anna, who has similar taste in food to me and the perfect person to share a few dishes with. 
Our first starter of charred squid was beautifully cooked and was accompanied by a light sauce dashed through with parsley and hint of chilli. 
We also chose the crudo of the day, a beautiful rainbow plate of raw fish including salmon, sea bass and a yellow tail tuna. It was lightly dressed with spicy and zesty flavours and perfectly presented. The ideal dish to eat with your eyes first.
The chic restaurant is owned by the Bernardi brothers who were involved with the launch of the Cubitt House Group, which amongst other ventures includes some of my favourites pubs The Orange and the Thomas Cubitt. Actually The Orange serves Mr S’s favourite Sunday roast of all time! The Bernardi brothers are Australian with an Italian back ground and their inspiration for the food also comes from Sydney and Melbourne. Head Chef is the highly talented Sabrina Gidda who has made the finals for the Roux Scholarship twice.
My main course was sea trout, which just flaked apart perfectly and came with a light but filling side of grilled artichokes, deliciously creamy cannellini beans and tasty twist of Amalfi lemon.
Anna’s sea bream had that perfect crisp skin and came with a slightly richer sauce of wild fennel, green olives and potato. We loved both these delicious classic dishes and there was lots of other dishes on the menu that looked good especially the pizzetta selection. They also do weekend brunch, afternoon cicheti and there’s a more relaxed cocktail bar downstairs…the restaurant is perfect for all times of the day.
I really do recommend Bernardi’s; it’s not fussy or clever it’s just great Italian food cooked beautifully and with obvious passion.
Bernardi’s
62 Seymour Street
London
W1H 5BN
0203 826 7940
