Belvedere, Holland Park: It’s a ‘white truffle’ Christmas!

Belvedere Restaurant in London’s Park is making it snow, with an exclusive white truffle menu, featuring dishes including white truffle pizza and white chocolate mouse, that’s running until the end of the year.

In October, Holland Park’s fine-dining Italian spot, Belvedere, proudly revealed its White Truffle menu, dubbing it a “true homage to Italy’s most treasured ingredient: the tartufo bianco”. What can guests expect? The answer is a selection of seasonal Italian dishes masterminded by chef Lello Favuzzi., with truffles sourced from Italian suppliers in Alba (Piedmont), the Umbria region and Abruzzo.  “White truffles are so treasured in Italian cuisine due to their extreme rarity – they’re hunted by dogs – and intense and unique aroma, popular only generally between October and the end of the year,” explains Favuzzi, who first learnt to cook in his childhood kitchen in Sassari, Sardinia. “So it feels like a celebration and a real sense of occasion.”

On the menu guests can choose from fried eggs and chives, homemade Taglierini with butter and Grana Padano (so far a fan favourite), as well as white truffle pizza and white chocolate mouse. “The first three are very classic and popular in Italy, especially in Piedmont where the white and black truffle grows the most,” says Favuzzi. “White chocolate mousse is my personal suggestion and I think it’s special because I keep the egg overnight in a container together with the white truffle and use the day after to do mousse, in this way the eggs get a really strong white truffle flavour naturally,”

Talking of the response to the menu, which will run until the end of the year, Favuzzi says, “people love it”. While the à la carte menu features black truffle, “people that know about white truffle go for this one,” as “it’s something special this time of year”. White truffles enhance the food’s flavours with “pungent, intense, earthy notes” as well as “elegant aromas”. Favuzzi partly thinks this is why the ingredient has gained so much traction in the UK: “it’s a rich, unique flavour that’s considered luxury – even on chips”.

When it comes to wine, sommelier Joseph Pelosi is the man in charge. Asked to pick a wine pairing to accompany the white truffle menu, he plumps for Cesconi Oliver – a Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio blend. “It has the buttery notes to start with, and the Pinot Grigio comes through with crisp, flinty notes that finish the mouthful perfectly.” If you’re off the alcohol, opt for the non-alcoholic Amarico Spritz. Pelosi calls it “perfect” He adds: “The homemade peach and apricot soda is balanced with herbal and woody spice notes from our non alcoholic aperitivo blend.”

Overall, the wine list spotlights Italian and French regions, including Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Barbaresco and Tuscany when it comes to fine wine. “It’s a mix of different styles, countries and pairings,” explains Pelosi. “Some wines are selected to work with signature dishes on the menu, others are selected because they are big names and some just because they are perfect for enjoying on the terrace. It’s constantly changing.” When it comes to dessert pairings, Pelosi would team up the sour cherry mousse with a glass of Tokaji 5 Puttonyos. “The rich sweetness of the tokaji works brilliantly with the creamy, light and ever-so-slight sourness of the cherry mousse and the crunch of the vanilla crumb,” he says. 

Related news

Muriel Wines' portfolio stays true to its Rioja roots

Wynns John Riddoch: representing the ‘ultimate selection’

The vineyard-centred approach earning renown at Bodegas Ysios