“L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see…” I’m out for dinner at Bardo St James’s, a new restaurant off Pall Mall that aims to channel the Italian glamour of the ’50s and ’60s. There are white tablecloths and red velvet chairs; tuxedoed waiters bearing plates of everything from veal tonnato to tagliolini al ragú; and a live band and singer performing a classic song by Nat King Cole – delivering what owner Luca Maggiora calls “an experience that whisks you away the moment you come through the door”.
Live music in restaurants has never entirely gone away. But the practice of booking musicians to bring ambience has certainly waned, in favour of iPhone playlists over a sound system. I had reservations about the concept at Bardo St James’s, which sounded a lot like Vegas. But after two glasses of vino, I was happily tapping my foot under the table. Even if I couldn’t always hear the waiter or indeed my guest over the band’s lively…