Aspley's, A Heinz Beck Restaurant - Knighstbridge, Thursday 23rd August, 2012

As I finish off  yet another late review, I must say it feels good to be gathering a little momentum this summer. People seem to forget just how lazy I can be that with a full-time (and full-overtime) day job, there is often nothing left in the brain box by the time I get home every evening. Is this an excuse? Obviously not, but it's a fact nonetheless. That said, I thank you for reading...

Last summer, the wife popped up with another Valentine's Day surprise for me. "In August?!" I hear you cry: yes, Taiwanese culture celebrates one for ladies in March and one for men in August. It's always a lovely late summer event and it usually involves a restaurant visit.

For 2012, she'd organised a set menu dinner at Heinz Beck (again, I refuse to type the whole name of the place) which is always going to go down well with me. However, the price always grates a little: £45 for three courses is not cheap but then it is a Michelin-Starred Italian restaurant in London, so I'm not sure what I was expecting. It was the third time in three years we'd been back but that shows what an enticing prospect a meal here is.

Bread and olive oil at Heinz Beck is one of London's simple food pleasures in one of its more opulent settings (left). Gorgeous fresh and varied bread with strong, pure olive oil and sea salt is one of those combinations that needs nothing more. It is a perfect distillation of flavour and tradition. The paper-thin striga is a delight, as well as the crunchy breadsticks. There is a real danger one can fill up before the starters even hit the table.

The menu itself was pretty impressive, with many of the dishes featuring on the normal a la carte. To that end, I had to go for one of Beck's signatures on the menu: fagottelli carbonara (right). Apart from the inevitable sniggering when the name is pronounced, this is a quite incredible filled pasta. Thinner and more refined than ravioli or tortellini, the textural contrast from the cheese sauce filling and the crispy bacon topping made it an absolute winner. It's hard to top a classic carbonara in my opinion, but this came very close.

The wife went for the soup option. Whenever we've had soup at Heinz Beck before it's been excellent and this was no exception: minestrone with a poached egg and "cereals" (left). The cereal element was an array of pulses within the soup itself, playing a nice contrast to the beans and thick, satisfying liquid. The poached was typically perfect, lending a rich smoothness to the dish. It was testament to how good this was that she didn't steal more of my pasta.

Main courses looked tantalising and the wife went for lamb with a black olive crust (right). This was something of a no-brainer for her since she loves lamb and it was a pretty safe bet it was going to be cooked perfectly here. Indeed it was, with a delightful pink sheen enlivened with a beautiful lamb jus. The aubergine in the middle served to add contrasting texture and a rich savoury note to compliment the olive garnish.

I bucked our usual trend and ordered the vegetarian option for my main course. Whilst a fillet of sea bass appealed, I was persuaded by the sound of herb gnocchi with wild mushrooms and carrot foam (left). This was a dish that was typically superbly cooked to ensure there was nothing too soft or squidgy but nothing which required too much bite. The carrot foam was actually closer to a purée, meaning it acted as a sauce instead of a garnish. It was stunning and I'd order it again in a heartbeat.

Desserts looked a more troublesome proposition for the pair of us since we immediately both shot to the chocolate and passion fruit cube. Luckily I won out and it was a thing of exquisite beauty (right). As I have hinted at before; there is nowhere else in London I can think of that compares to Heinz Beck for outright presentation. The room, the food, the staff, the menus... All welcoming but proper, dignified and elegant. This particular dessert comprised of a pair of stunning chocolate boxes within which was the passion fruit as a gel. The strong fruit cut through the rich dark chocolate along with the raspberries as a decoration to contrast perfectly. Chocolate sorbet topped off the piece perfectly in terms of texture and temperature.

The wife went for "Five Rings" which we had to ask our waiter about beforehand. Made up of five biscuit rings with ice cream inside, covered with icing, it was a sight to behold (left). The rings themselves were delicious: a light and crunchy combination of flavoursome pudding which played on our childlike sensibilities as any nostalgic dessert should. Close to party rings, they were - for the most part - excellent. The raspberry and vanilla were particular highlights but the wife was delighted with her lot.

As a whole, the meal was excellent. We tend to expect nothing else of Heinz Beck these days. The food was delicious, the overall atmosphere excellent and the staff as gracious and personable as ever. Even though £45 for three courses is a bit toppy, it is worth it because I can't think of anywhere else in London you can get Italian food this elegant and refined, but also delicious.

Aspley's, A Heinz Beck Restaurant