Sundays were already doing a lot. LAVO has decided they can do more.
From 1 February, LAVO at The BoTree takes on Britain’s most fiercely defended tradition and gives it an Italian passport. The result is a Sunday roast that feels familiar enough to satisfy the purists, but indulgent and mischievous enough to justify cancelling any post-lunch plans.
At the centre of things are three proper show-offs: roasted beef striploin, corn fed chicken and porchetta, the latter bringing all the slow roasted, crackling-worthy drama you would hope for. They land with crisp roast potatoes, seasonal root vegetables and a rich jus, but the real talking point is what replaces the Yorkshire pudding. Enter panini semidolci. Soft, warm Italian milk bread, designed for tearing, dunking and shameless second helpings. Once you have tried it, the Yorkshire may start to feel negotiable.
If decision making feels like too much effort for a Sunday, the Sunday Sharing Feast removes the problem entirely. For £30 per person, all three meats arrive together, encouraging passing plates, stealing bites and the kind of table chatter that only happens when nobody is rushing off anywhere.
Around the roast, LAVO’s Italian influence is in full flow. Caesar della Casa and truffle mac and cheese lean into comfort, while beetroot carpaccio with wild herbs and mushrooms keeps things light on its feet. Carne battuta al coltello arrives with gorgonzola and fresh radish, chicken liver pâté is sweetened with strawberry marmalade and aceto balsamico, and half shell oysters with limoncello mignonette offer a bright, bracing start for those who like their Sundays with a little edge.
The menu does not insist you play by roast rules. Roasted cauliflower with salsa verde, thyme croutons and capers gives plant-led dining proper attention, while lobster linguine with fresh chilli and white wine is there for anyone leaning fully into indulgence. Vegan options run throughout, and locally sourced ingredients keep everything feeling considered rather than flashy.
Dessert, unsurprisingly, is where restraint officially ends. February marks the return of the Red Velvet 20 Layer Cake, a LAVO favourite that needs very little introduction. It is joined by chocolate croccante with gianduja mousse and candied orange, torta alla mela with vanilla gelato, and a line-up of house made gelato and sorbets that make skipping pudding feel like a bad life choice.
To mark the launch, LAVO is offering 30 percent off the entire bill throughout February, which feels like permission rather than a promotion. Served every Sunday from 12pm to 5pm, this is a roast made for lingering, laughing and ordering dessert even when you said you would not.
Sundays, consider yourselves warned.
LAVO, The BoTree, 30 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2DR
