Pitched as the more casual cousin to its original London outpost in Victoria, Italian brand TOZI has opened an all-day restaurant on the ground floor of art’otel opposite the newly vamped Battersea Power Station. Inspired by the grand cafes of Europe, we’d argue this ‘casual’ spot still lies on the upmarket end of the spectrum. Its stylish interiors are spearheaded by Spanish designer Jamie Hayon and, to put it bluntly, they are dazzling. Colourful tapestries, commissioned especially for the café, hang above intimate green leather booths, while a spectacular pillar box red cocktail bar featuring an impressive wall of spirits overlooks the spherical, glass-fronted dining area.
The all-day menu features a line-up of hearty Italian classics stretched between antipasti, cicchetti, pasta and secondi. There’s very little to complain about. Soft cubes of rosemary focaccia feature a delicious salt-studded crust, while crisp calamari enveloped in yielding batter required little more than a squeeze of lemon. The lobster linguine for two is a great option for those who love a bit of tableside theatre – it's wheeled to your table and served in front of you – although it's slightly underwhelming in terms of deep flavour. Instead, we found solace in a juicy piece of on-the-bone chicken breast, served with creamy polenta and baby woodland mushrooms. Don’t miss the pistachio tiramisu to finish, a light and boozy number with nutty notes.
Its cocktails are another talking point and we’d recommend starting with a refreshing Torbato, a light and subtly sweet concoction featuring jasmine tea, passion fruit cordial, white grape and apricot soda, and Prosecco.
Prices vary and you can eat as modestly or lavishly as you please – mains, for example, range from £15 to £40. Still, we can see TOZI attracting more than just the hotel’s guests and is certainly one of the best places to eat at Battersea’s shiny new complex.