Daphne's: Authentic Italian in South Kensington

A perennially popular neighbourhood Italian restaurant set among some of London’s most charming streets and shops, Daphne’s exudes natural warmth and charisma. Daphne’s is all about authentic Italian cooking, inspired by the country’s rich culinary heritage and diverse regional cuisine. Located between Chelsea and South Kensington, Daphne’s has long been a neighbourhood favourite, serving authentic Italian cuisine since its founding in 1964. The elegant interiors evoke a sense of effortless upscale Italian design, with splashes of vivid painterly colour in the plush leather upholstery, vintage Murano chandeliers and modern European artwork.  

First opened in 1964 by theatre agent Daphne Rye (who famously discovered Richard Burton), it became an overnight success, playing host to stars of stage and screen from Alec Guinness to Laurence Olivier. It fell from favour for a while, but the early 1990s saw it bought by Danish playboy-cum-restaurateur Mogens Tholstrup, who ditched the French menu in favour of Italian and turned it into a place fit for a princess — Di, specifically, who became a lunchtime regular. By 2001, Daphne’s was again a fading star. Enter Caprice Holdings, owner of The Ivy and Le Caprice, which added the former hotspot to its illustrious portfolio and has returned Daphne’s to its glory days.

The menu follows the classic Italian journey of antipasti and handmade pastas and risottos to second courses of fresh fish, meat and seafood, culminating in a dessert list of sweet temptations and fresh ice cream, made daily. Each dish has been refined and perfected to earn its place on a menu that has evolved slowly over the years and shifts to meet the changing seasons. Head Chef Chris Dargavel knows that consistency is key, and that the difference between excellent and exceptional can often be found in the smallest of details, honed over the years to showcase the finest seasonal ingredients, served up in a glamorous yet informal setting. Arriving for a lovely dinner before leaving for a month in the Cotswolds the next morning, we decided to splurge with a decadent evening out at Daphne's, and so pleased we did, as it was delicious in every way. We will absolutely be back on our next trip through London.

Daphne's snazzy cocktail bar with lots of panache

A smart cocktail at the bar at Daphne's

General Manager Gabriele Esposito has been welcoming regulars and newcomers alike with the gregarious charm of his native Naples for more than 20 years

The cuisine, the service and the ambience was simply lovely

Glass of Ruinart Brut Champagne

Lovely wooden bowl of warm bread and Italian olive oil

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Rocket and Parmigiana

Prosciutto di Parma with Zerbinati Melon — deliciously sweet melon and exquisite prosciutto

Folli & Benato Gavi

Tagliatelle with Mixed Wild Mushrooms — sensational!

Chianti Classico Le Corti 

Veal & Pork Meatballs with Tomato Sauce & Rosemary Roast Potatoes

Roasted Peaches with Mascarpone and Amaretti

Amaro del Capo

daphnes-restaurant.co.uk

Gnocchi with Truffles

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Daphne's

For the Gnocchi:

2 1/4 lb Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster (or a good baking potato)

1 lb 00 flour

A large pinch of table salt

Olive oil for sprinkling

For the sauce:

1/2 lb salted butter chopped roughly

7 oz freshly grated Parmesan

3 1/2 tbsp water

Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper

1 oz fresh white or black truffle

Table salt for cooking

Wash the potatoes, skins on, and bake or boil them until cooked. Cut in half, scoop out the hot potato flesh and push through a sieve, mouli or ricer into a bowl. Add the flour and salt. Mix well until a dough is formed. If wet, add more flour. Taste to check seasoning. 

To shape the gnocchi, use a metal dough scraper or sharp knife, and cut into equal parts about the size of a small bread roll. Roll into chipolata sized shapes about 1/2-inches in diameter. Now cut the “chipolatas” into 3/4-inch pieces. Dust with flour and, one by one, pinch one side of it whilst pressing it over the head of a fork – thus creating grooves on one side and an imprint on the other. 

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi, in batches if necessary, until they float to the top, and remove with a slotted spoon, putting straight into a large bowl of iced water. Drain dry and sprinkle with olive oil. Keep to one side.

For the sauce, add water and butter to a large frying pan on a medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted. Remove from the heat.  Season. The sauce should be pouring cream consistency. Too thick, add water; too runny, add Parmesan.

Simultaneously, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon, adding to the sauce. On a medium to low heat, stir until the gnocchi are coated. Spoon into 4 warmed bowls. Shave thin slices of truffle over the top using a mandolin or peeler.  Serve immediately.

The Royal Academy: Lord Leighton's Flaming June

 

Originally exhibited at the Royal Academy' Summer Exhibition in 1895, the year before Leighton died, Flaming June is one of the most important works by Sir Frederic Leighton. Almost 128 years after it was first shown at the RA, Leighton’s Victorian masterpiece returned to Piccadilly, where we went to see the show while in London. Having visited Leighton House in Holland Park a few years ago, we explored the artists extraordinary home and collections, so we were very keen to see this iconic painting. Displayed alongside additional works from the RA Collection, his contemporaries, those which inspired him and those which he in turn influenced, the show was wonderfully inspiring.

Painted during the end of the 19th century, when Leighton, the then-President of the RA, was enjoying recognition as one of the period’s most admired artists, Flaming June is a vivid fusion of old and new. With its neoclassical leanings and pose borrowed from Michelangelo’s sculpture Night in Florence’s Medici Chapels, the scene typifies Leighton’s reverence for historic tradition and technique, while tapping into the peculiarly Victorian taste for gorgeous, comatose women. 

Across from the RA is Fortnum & Mason — one of our personal favourites. Having made reservations for lunch, we toodled around for a while before heading down to the F&M Wine Bar nestled on the Lower Floor Food Hall. Beginning with a glass of champagne, we shared Day Boat Fish Goujons with chips and seaweed tartare sauce, a crisp mixed lettuce salad, followed by the cheese board featuring a selection of British cheese, including Westcombe Cheddar, Rachel Goat's Cheese and Beauvale Blue served with cracker bread, celery and Fortnum's delicious Chutney, before taking the tube back to Sloane Square to prepare for dinner at Daphne's, an exquisite and fashionable restaurant in the heart of Chelsea.

Staying at The Draycott in London, Sloane Square was our local tube stop

and stepping off point for exploring London

Statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds reigns in the RA courtyard, being The Royal Academy’s first president, 

he was considered the leading portrait painter of his day and a key figure in the Academy

José Pizarro at the RA is the acclaimed chef's first restaurant in the heart of Mayfair, 

bringing together his two biggest loves – food and art

Cappuccino to start the day at the RA

Royal Academy’s Collection Gallery featuring Lord Leighton's Flaming June

 Asleep, the woman is unmoored, drifting mysteriously in her gleaming gilt frame

- 'Flaming June' by Lord Frederick Leighton (c.1895) -

Flaming June is inspired by a stone cold masterpiece, 

Michelangelo's statue of Night in the New Sacristy in Florence

Self Portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds (c.1780), founding president of the Royal Academy

Palette with colours set by Sir Joshua Reynolds for Mary, Marchioness of Buckingham 

when she made a copy of his famous portrait of Sarah Siddons as the 'Tragic Muse'

Sir Joshua Reynold's portrait 'of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse'

of eighteenth century Shakespearean actress Sarah Siddons

Constable's 'Flatford Lock, a Path by The River' (c.1810)

Travelling watercolour box owned by J.M.W. Turner, R.A.  (c. 1842)

that he used when painting outdoors often on the lid of his paintbox

Prior to the 19th-century, dry pigments were mixed with oils by hand

such as this colour box containing phials of powdered paint

Design for a poster for the RA Summer Exhibition in 1936 by Dame Laura Knight RA

Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, one of our favourite stops and just across from the RA

Fortnum's Piccadilly was taken over by a spectacular canopy of seagulls, flying through their iconic atrium as they try to sneak a taste of the enormous ice cream cone below

Enormous iced cream cone on lower level

We were captivated by Fortnum's outdoor barbecue in their iconic Eau de Nil blue-green hue,

for just £65 — it was so tempting

Also bought some delicious F&M shortbread for nibbling on in Chipping Camden, 

where we were leaving shortly to stay for 3 weeks 

The Wine Bar at Fortnum & Mason, a hidden gem nestled within the famous 

Lower Ground Floor Food Hall, with an enviable wine list 

Glass of Fortnum’s Coronation Brut Selection, Jacques Picard NV

Day Boat Fish Goujons with chips and seaweed tartare sauce

Mixed Leaf Salad with house dressing

London Sourdough Bread with Ivy House Butter

Westcombe Cheddar, Rachel Goat's Cheese and Beauvale Blue served with 

cracker bread, celery and Fortnum's Chutney 

www.fortnumandmason.com/the-wine-bar

Fortnum & Mason Fish Pie

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Fortnum & Mason

 

2 lb floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 oz unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus a little extra for the mash

7 oz smoked haddock

2 bay leaves

3 1/2 oz salmon fillet, skinned and diced

3 1/2 oz fine green beans, cut in half

2 oz plain flour

5 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

7 oz cooked Atlantic prawns

1 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

salt & fresh ground black pepper

 

Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and mash over a low heat. Beat in half of the butter and season well, adding a drop of milk if the mash is too stiff.

 

Poach the smoked haddock by putting it in a pan with the milk and bay leaves and bringing it to a gentle simmer. Remove from the pan and flake the flesh into chunks. Discard bones and save the milk for later.

 

Steam the diced salmon and cod for 4-5 minutes, until just cooked through. Cook the green beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water to preserve the beans' colour.

 

Melt the remaining butter in a pan and stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes over a gentle heat. Strain the warm milk into a jug and gradually add it to the roux, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce. Then simmer for a few minutes, season to taste, and stir in the chopped parsley.

 

Pour a little of the sauce into 4 individual pie dishes, or one large dish. Divide the fish, beans and prawns equally, and cover with the sauce and allow to cool until it sets. Finally, top with the mashed potato, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake in an oven heated to 350°F for roughly 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the pie is heated through and serve immediately.