Veneta St James’s Restaurant Review

At the beginning of the month, Adam and I visited Veneta at the newly redeveloped and exciting space of St. James’s Market, nestled between Regent Street and Haymarket.

The restaurant itself is positioned on a corner, facing the courtyard area that sees many people coming and going, so there’s a buzz of activity and a nice relaxing atmosphere to start with.

Our waiting staff saw us to a table by the windows which wrap around two sides of the restaurant, dangerously close to the beautifully prepared bar, but, business is business so we began the task of learning what was on offer.

As you probably guessed the menu at Veneta is inspired by classic Venetian dishes, perhaps best described as an Italian version of Tapas. What makes this different though is the inclusion of a classic raw bar, with a selection of delicious British and Venetian seafood.

With help from our waiter, we chose the Nocellara olives and a portion of Jersey oysters to start the ball rolling. Served with the classic accompaniments of lemon, Tabasco, and diced shallot, these were a great indication of what great food was yet to come.

Following on from the oysters, we then had a Salt Cod dish with Parmesan and olive crust, a portion of grilled pork rib-eye with Occhiato bean puree and courgette & fig cream, and a confit of duck leg to top off it off.

Our waiter suggested a fantastic salad dish too, which was a great refreshing addition to the bold and rich flavours of the meat and fish.

To finish off, Adam chose from the Gelato bar and I went for the Panna Cotta with a sorbet and red fruit topping. Incredible tasting dishes to finish of a very enjoyable lunch. The photos speak for themselves.

Veneta is certainly worth a visit, and given that a Sunday Feast option is available with limitless Prosecco or wine for £35pp, you may just see us there again soon.