Locatelli at the National Gallery, London WC2: ‘Come for the Michelangelo, stay for the orecchiette’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Someone is actually cooking here – it’s not just for tourists

I first heard of Giorgio Locatelli’s move to the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London via a promotional shot in which the great man stands, arms crossed, in front of The Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio. In the photograph, chef Locatelli, with his flowing, silver locks and impish expression, has himself the look of a Renaissance-era mover and shaker. Great art meets great art, it seems to say. Come for the The Entombment by Michelangelo in Room 2 on Level 2 and stay for the orecchiette with nettle pesto on the first-floor mezzanine next to the gift shop. Or even just for a coffee and a cake at Bar Giorgio, which is really just a coffee stand in the entrance hall that serves Locatelli’s chantilly cream-filled brioche buns for £7 a pop.

Locatelli’s new arty venture is in partnership with the catering company Searcys, which controls the dining offering at a number of large, unwieldy venues – the Gherkin, the Barbican and Battersea power station, to name just a few – as well as vast hangars in Pall Mall, Westminster and farther afield. This is an outfit that specialises in posh-ish experiences in mega-high-footfall sweet spots.