A passion for detail

"A modern interior that isn't overtly trendy" was the aim for Liz Przybylski, Gennaro d'Urso and Gennaro Contaldo when designing their first restaurant,Passione, in London's Charlotte Street. The trio, who met when they worked at Antonio Carluccio's renowned Neal Street restaurant, also wanted to serve Italian cuisine without resorting to clichés.

So, the colour scheme may be based on terracotta and sage green, evoking the Tuscan countryside, but a black granite bar top and beech-and-chrome chairs ensure the 40-seat restaurant's ambience is set firmly in the late 20th century.

Dishes on head chef Contaldo's constantly changing à la carte menu are drawn from all over Italy, too, with pasta dishes sitting alongside staples such as rocket, Parmesan, mozzarella and polenta. And because Contaldo hails from Amalfi on Italy's south-western coast, there is always a good sprinkling of seafood dishes among the six starters and six main dishes.

Two popular starters - salad of baby cuttlefish, squid and octopus (£6); and a grilled wild mushroom salad with wild rocket (£6.50) - epitomise Contaldo's Mediterranean roots. "I used to catch cuttlefish and pick the wild rocket and mushrooms as a boy," he says.

Sorrel also grows wild in Amalfi and is another bestseller - risotto with wild sorrel (served either as a starter, £6, or as a main course, £8.50).

"The sorrel is lemony, slightly acid and the rice absorbs it as it is cooking. Because of this, the risotto ends up with a sweet and sour flavour," he explains.

According to Przybylski, who, with restaurant manager d'Urso, heads a front of house team of two, the popularity of the risotto is such that "there would be no point in taking it off the menu".

Customers spend an average of £25-£30 per head with wine and often opt for a main course of rabbit with rosemary served with sautéd potatoes (£11.50) and the intensely flavoured dessert of limoncello and wild strawberry ice-cream.

The ice-cream is one of the few things not made on site by Contaldo and his kitchen brigade of two (although it is prepared exclusively for Passione). The restaurant's pasta, bread and focaccia are all made in-house.

Contaldo has quickly built up a reputation for his focaccia (one particular fan being ex-Neal Street colleague Jamie Oliver) and customers often ask him for his recipes. Passione offers diners a choice of two focaccia types every day: plain; or with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, artichokes or rosemary.

The restaurant is seeing an average of 40 covers a night. "We don't like to rush people. As far as we're concerned, they're here for the night," says Przybylski. n

Passione, 10 Charlotte Street, London W1P 1HE. Tel: 0171-636 2833