It’s a brave man who opens a restaurant in the middle of a recession – or a clever one – and Joseph Ettedgui’s probably the latter. At Il Vaporetto in Elizabeth Street, the man in black-and-white has created the perfect refuge for anyone exasperated by the increasing ‘adventurousness’ of Italian cooking in central London.
The old favourites – spag bol, veal al limone – seem to have been powerless against such incomers as sea urchins, tripe and brains. But as Joseph’s career in fashion proved, classics have staying power. Just look at his decades-long love affair with monochrome, still going strong in Il Vaporetto’s crisp decoration. Just look, indeed, at his chosen site. Here stood Mimmo d’Iaschia, Frank Sinatra’s favourite hangout in Belgravia, and local to Roger Moore, whose signed photo used to hang in pride of place.
Actually, Joe tells me, he may bring back Moore’s iconic image; Mimmo, now retired and in his nineties, still has it in storage. Meanwhile, Il Vap – as it will doubtless become known – keeps up his traditions in the menu. Parma ham and melon! Spaghetti with tomato and basil! Chopped steak, fishcakes, grilled baby chicken and dover sole – they all make a welcome change from the Sardinian cooking that has colonized the area.
One word of warning: on a busy night upstairs, you may not want to be seated under the cupola. The glass dome captures every voice in the room and beams them all onto the table - which can be hard on one’s hearing. But that apart, no wonder le patron mange ici.
