TAO's Lavo Marylebone restaurant review with 20-layer cake

Lavo in Marylebone is the TAO group’s newest restaurant in London, boasting an Italian cuisine with a coastal flair.

Its interior can only be described as stunning, with boho and greenery features including a large lit-up tree in the centre of the restaurant.

It spans on two floors with seating throughout, with a large bar on the ground floor as you walk in and a cosy fire-side terrace outside.

I went to the restaurant as a treat on a Saturday evening as a belated birthday celebration, and it’s the perfect place for that slightly more upmarket occasion.

We sat downstairs for a warmer, more intimate setting, and the restaurant was packed, adding to the atmosphere which was already set by the lighting, music and décor.

The waiters brought out some vegetables and breadsticks to munch on while looking at the menu, and I appreciated this touch especially at a place where you are likely to indulge.

The menu is extensive, and has fresh pasta made in-house, whole grain pizzas, fish and more, including a whopping £68 veal schnitzel which is probably enough to feed an army.

For starters my boyfriend and I chose to share the tuna tartare and burrata cheese.

Both are dishes I would go for in most restaurants when offered on the menu, but these were exceptionally good ones.

They were made with fresh foods, they were generous portion sizes, and I wanted more and more.

For main course I went for the seabass, which I can’t fault either, it was melt-in-the mouth, thick and not too fishy which I never like.

My boyfriend got the monstrous veal schnitzel, and probably doesn’t want me to admit that he devoured the lot, but he did, on his own.

He said it was something of dreams, although he did say he never wanted to eat again afterwards because he was so full.

We got some chips and broccoli on the side and the whole meal was perfect – I wouldn’t have changed any of it.

And now for the real main part… There is absolutely no part of us that needed dessert, or wanted dessert, but when a menu in front of you says there is a 20 layer chocolate cake on offer, I am unable to resist.

I think only a picture can do this justice, but it literally was 20 layers of chocolate cake with peanut butter in, and it was mesmerising, delicious, light, chocolate-y, and something of dreams.

Granted we had to take the vast majority of it home, and still haven’t managed to finish, but it’s quite simply irresistible.