Coordinates: 51°29′56.25″N 0°9′27.75″W / 51.4989583°N 0.1577083°W / 51.4989583; -0.1577083

Zafferano

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Zafferano
File:Zafferano.jpg
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Restaurant information
EstablishedFebruary 1995; 31 years ago (1995-02)
OwnerJohn Francis De Stefano
Head chefFrederico Del Busso (2023– Current)
Food typeItalian cuisine
Location15 17 Lowndes Street, London, SW1X 9EY, United Kingdom
ReservationsYes
Other informationGeneral Manager: Giuseppe Bellino
Nearest station:
London Underground Knightsbridge
Websitewww.zafferanorestaurant.com

Zafferano is a restaurant in London, originally run by Giorgio Locatelli on behalf of A–Z Restaurants until 2005. The restaurant was awarded one Michelin star in 1999, which it held until 2012.

History

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Zafferano was opened by Locatelli in February 1995 in Knightsbridge, London.[1] Its name comes from the Italian for saffron.[2] The location had previously been a fish restaurant, but under Locatelli the new restaurant served Italian food.[1] The major investor in the restaurant was Claudio Pulze, who owned the restaurant through his company A–Z Restaurants.[3] Locatelli's pay was based on a percentage of the overall performance of the restaurant.[2]

The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in the list published in 1999. Locatelli was named the Outstanding London Chef of 2001 at the London Restaurant Awards,[4] but shortly afterwards left the restaurant following disagreements with new head of A–Z Restaurants, Giuliano Lotto.[5] Andrew Needham took over as head chef, having previously been Locatelli's sous chef.[6]

After A–Z Restaurants went into administration in November 2004, Locatelli said that he was interested in purchasing Zafferano.[7] The group, including Zafferano, was sold back to Claudio Pulze with a new partner, John De Stefano. In 2007, Pulze sold his share of the company to De Stefano.[8] The restaurant expanded during the same year and opened a delicatessen.[9]

The restaurant's menu is influenced by the previous restaurants at which Locatelli worked, including The Savoy Hotel and at Olivo, where the menu was centred on Italian peasant foods.[1] It was initially launched with a series of set price menus, with the idea that the menus would be changed on a monthly basis, and the dishes avoid using butter as an ingredient. Only one dish in the original 1995 menu was served with butter — a dish of pappardelle pasta with chicken livers and sage.[2]

Desserts have included strawberries drizzled with 60-year-old balsamic vinegar.[10] The signature dessert is a tiramisu served inside a tuile. Although saffron fibres are woven into the covers of the bill cover, the process was too expensive to repeat for the covers of the menus.[2] Between 1997 and 2005, the average cost of a meal at the restaurant increased by 65%, from £34 to £56.[11]

Reception

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Matthew Norman, writing for The Daily Telegraph in 2003, described it as "one of the best restaurants around", although he did criticise the attitude of its staff.[12] In 2013, Time Out wrote that Zafferano "has some way to go to rediscover its glory days".[13] It was awarded three AA Rosettes in 2009.[14] In 2011, the restaurant was named 55th in the list of the top restaurants in the UK by The Good Food Guide.[15]

References

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