Banca – Review

BANCA Mayfair

30 North Audley Street London W1K 6ZG

020 7647 2525

www.bancarestaurant.com/

Banca

Arjun Waney is a serial restaurateur and club owner operating at the top end of the market whose portfolio includes Zuma, Roka, La Petite Maison and the Dover St Arts Club. His operations are stylish and sophisticated and the food is very good. Banca is his Italian restaurant. It’s the sort of place you would hope to find in Milan and it sits perfectly in Mayfair.

Banca is situated in a converted NatWest bank. The security boxes are still situated downstairs in the private dining room which overlooks the kitchen.

But at Banca it’s not the bank you need to rob but the bar which has a great selection of grappas, vermouth, and particularly vintage amari , those deliciously bitter drinks such as Cynar and Campari that the Italians (and The Hedonist) love so much.

In Milan if you go into a bar or restaurant between about 5 and 7 p.m. there is a magical two hour period known as the ‘Aperitivo’. Order a drink and you will be presented with a choice of delicious savoury snacks. Incredibly wisely those lovely people at Banca have decided to bring this estimable tradition to our grey and fractious Isle.

Aperitivo Time

Bellinis were delicious and made with properly fresh peach juice, a ‘secret ingredient’ and excellent Prosecco.

Bellinis

An Aperol Spritz was the perfect balance between the slightly cloying flavour of the Aperol and the fizz-not too sweet.

Aperol Spritz

The Champagne cocktail was probably the best I have tried. Brown sugar soaked with Angostura Bitters covered with a shot of Courvoisier brandy and Champagne, then garnished with orange peel.

Champagne Cocktail

Milanese etiquette dictates that the customer should not make more than one trip to the buffet per drink but with the wide selection on offer at Banca I was sorely tempted. There were olives, pizza, ham, prawn open sandwiches, mini salt cod fish cakes, mini steak tartare, asparagus focaccia and a host of other nibbles to soak up the alcohol. I love the concept of the aperitivo. It’s a wonderfully civilised and pleasurable way of spending time. In fact I could easily spend the rest of my life in glamorous locations drinking cocktails, snacking on tasty bites and making shallow small talk. If that’s your idea of a good time too you should probably head to Banca in the early evening. For Mayfair and the quality of the drinks it is surprisingly reasonably priced and with the complimentary food dare I say it-a bargain.