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Description: Bianco Nero restaurant, right in the heart of London's Hammersmith, may be modern Italian but specializes in old-fashioned great service. The dining room is a sleek concoction of cool white floors, tables and seating that softens the look with a few silkscreens of herby plants made graphically large. What's authentic about this relative newcomer is its dedication to fresh, inventive flavours - not your usual spaghetti shop. For instance, signature dishes include pan-fried king scallops with celeriac puree and pancetta, bianco nero sautéed calamari and squid ink, trio of stuckling pig with cavolo nero, and pud of white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. The cheesecakes are sin city, generally, and the wood-fired pizzas superb any time. Downstairs lounge is a warm local scene.
Phone: 020 8748 0212
Open: Mon - Fri 12pm - 3pm & 6pm - 11pm. Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays
Dress code: Casual
Payment options: All major cards except Diners
Bianco Nero is indeed black and white, a cool, contemporary modern Italian that wouldn't look out of place in Milan.
Once inside, furnished with a glass of chilled New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (there's no blinkered jingoism with this wine list) and some excellent, airy focaccia, the carbon monoxide hell of Hammersmith Broadway outside seems miles away.
Our food, from ex-Al Duca head honcho Aron Johnson, is pretty cool, too: some trad northern Italian dishes like Florentine ribollita (bread and cavalo nero soup) jostle with nouveau upstarts like my starter of tender calamari with a brilliant, silky, sweet and sour red pepper sorbet.
Equally good are pearly scallops with a slick of celeriac mayonnaise. Primi are deftly realised: red wine risotto is headily savoury, spiked with the bitter punch of radicchio; and I love my perfectly al dente conchigliette piled with Italian sausage and broccoli in tomato sauce.
The place is bustling - locals have rapidly realised there's a gem on their doorstep - but service doesn't miss a beat. The fact that Bianco Nero is such a chilled, attractive place to hang out is a triumph over its location.
A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £90. 206-208 Hammersmith Road W6. Tel: 020 8748 0212, www.bianconerorestaurants.com. Tube: Hammersmith
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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