There are certain London locations that make you wonder why nobody thought to put a great restaurant there sooner, and the Italian Gardens at Hyde Park is one of them. Tortello occupies a particularly lovely spot overlooking this historic corner of the park, bringing handmade pasta, modern Italian cooking and the promise of long, leisurely lunches to Bayswater.

It is a handsome restaurant too, with a light, contemporary take on Italian style. Soft greens, marble tables, patterned cushions, huge potted plants and warm lighting make the dining room feel elegant without tipping into formality, while the terrace overlooking the Italian Gardens is undoubtedly one of its biggest draws when London weather allows.

Handmade pasta at Tortello in Bayswater

Pasta is at the heart of the menu at Tortello and is made fresh daily, with both filled and traditional varieties alongside antipasti and a selection of larger secondi. We started with the Orkney crab tortelli, made with charcoal pasta and served with a lemon butter emulsion, which was delicate, beautifully presented and a lovely example of how good filled pasta can be when it isn’t overwhelmed by its sauce. My friend chose the grilled king prawns with salsa verde, red chilli and lemon, a simple combination that allowed the prawns themselves to do most of the work.

For mains, I temporarily abandoned pasta for the fillet tagliata of British beef, served with sautéed spinach, fries and salsa verde. My friend stayed more loyally Italian with the black truffle and ricotta tortelli, finished with truffle butter emulsion and freshly grated truffle. Rich and indulgent without becoming ridiculously heavy, it is the sort of dish that will have truffle lovers planning a return visit before they have finished it.

Save room for Tortello’s tiramisù

Dessert presented one of those dilemmas where ordering one between two would clearly have been sensible, so naturally we ordered two. The tiramisù comes with a hazelnut twist, adding nuttiness and texture to the familiar combination of coffee and mascarpone, while the lemon and rosemary cake was wonderfully moist, fragrant and considerably lighter than it looked. Between them, they neatly demonstrated Tortello’s approach to Italian food: recognisable enough to be comforting, but with little additions that keep things interesting.

Tortello’s £24 weekday lunch menu

Perhaps the biggest surprise, considering the location, is Tortello’s weekday lunch offer. Available Monday to Friday from 12pm to 4pm, you can have two courses from £24 or three for £29, making it an extremely tempting option for lunch near Hyde Park.

The menu changes seasonally but continues the same focus on handmade pasta and Italian classics, with dishes such as asparagus tortelli with lemon butter emulsion and beef shin ragù radiatori appearing alongside starters and desserts.

At £24 for two courses, it is particularly good value for this part of London, and certainly makes a more interesting proposition than another generic central London lunch.

Italian dining overlooking Hyde Park

The location really comes into its own on the terrace, which overlooks the Italian Gardens and gives Tortello an unusual sense of space for a London restaurant. A Hugo Spritz out here on a sunny afternoon, followed by fresh pasta and absolutely no pressing engagements afterwards, sounds like a pretty good way to spend a few hours.

Tortello may be a relatively new arrival, but with its handmade pasta, warm Italian hospitality, lovely interiors and one of Bayswater’s prettiest settings, it already feels like a restaurant worth knowing about. The weekday lunch deal makes an excellent reason to try it, although I suspect the combination of truffle tortelli, that hazelnut tiramisù and a terrace overlooking Hyde Park will provide plenty of reasons to return.