If you have a winning formula, then why change it? Ave Mario constitutes the third London offering from the Big Mamma group, whose empire takes in restaurants across four major cities in France as well as one outlet in Madrid. My dining comrade for the day, a French national, informed me that the founders believed they had spotted a gap in the market. When they opened their first restaurant, there was nothing else like it. If you wanted Italian food in Paris, broadly only high-end or very basic was available. However, going to Ave Mario is about much more than having a meal; rather, it’s an experience.
Your reviewer cannot recall the last time he visited a restaurant anywhere in London on a weekday lunchtime where many of the diners had dressed up as if for a night out. Ave Mario succeeds in creating a party-like atmosphere which even the most sceptical of diners would probably be forced to acknowledge works. It’s nothing to do with the music, more the crazy (yet successful) vision of the venue’s backers. The room is a visual marvel. Imagine black and white-striped walls covered with mirrors, red banquettes and a monument of a bar. It’s a small space which could easily feel claustrophobic, but has been rendered into a madcap playground. Posters from retro cartoon and comic books (remember the Smurfs, anyone?) add to the vibe. And then there’s the bar. Apparently it’s a centrepiece in all Big Mamma venues, and here sits at the back/ head of the restaurant, running almost floor to ceiling and adorned with every conceivable bottle of liqueur. The aesthetic creation doesn’t end here though. Crockery and glassware is deliberately mismatched, and if you fancy your water served in a gigantic raspberry jug or a vessel shaped like a woman’s body, then it can be found at Ave Mario.
With this much emphasis on experience, it might be possible to overlook the food. Fortunately, it’s not an after-thought, even if there is perhaps room for some improvement. The basic menu principle is conventional Italian (pizzas and pasta), but done with a few Gallic flourishes. Full plaudits for the fried courgette flowers starter, but our vitello tonnato (veal in a fish sauce) was unmemorable and the meat nowhere as tender as I might have expected. My pictured crab pasta main looked a delight and began promisingly, but the lemon and butter sauce was too rich and became sufficiently overwhelming that I was unable to finish it. We passed on puddings, but the emphasis is again on the visual (and presumably the Instagramable), with a 2-foot high drum of ice cream being one of the venue’s signature offerings. Considering that Ave Mario could probably get away with charging a premium for the whole experience, pricing seemed very fair. We paid around £40/head for our meal, which included a glass of wine. Book a visit, and party on.