
Splendido
At this storied perch in the Portofino hills, sophistication is woven into a fabric of rich history.
Deceptively simple but with depths of flavour: enter the humble tomato spaghetti, named after the Hollywood starlet who loved it so.
Of all the famous love affairs in the actress Elizabeth Taylor’s life, her infatuation with Portofino was one of the most enduring. It’s the town where she celebrated four of her honeymoons and where Richard Burton first proposed to her on the wisteria covered balcony of Suite 471 at Splendido in 1964 during a break from filming Cleopatra. While her taste in jewellery was famously opulent, when it came to food, she liked to keep things simple.
Rumour has it that she loved spaghetti with tomato sauce, and so Splendido’s executive chef, Corrado Corti, created the hotel’s most famous dish in her honour. Made with three different types of tomato combined with a few special techniques and touches, this twist on the classic spaghetti pomodoro is ultimately an unfussy plate of pasta that somehow feels as special as the exceptional star it was named after.
Buy 'LIGURIA: Recipes & Wanderings Along the Italian Riviera'
Step 1 / 7
Preheat oven to 80°C. Place the datterini tomatoes cut side up in a large baking tray and cover with the chopped thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, and sea salt. Roast in the oven for 3 hours until soft and caramelised on the outside.
Step 2 / 7
Drain the San Marzano tomatoes and keep the liquid in a separate bowl. Slice into strips.
Step 3 / 7
Cook the spaghetti in salted water as per packet instructions until al-dente.
Step 4 / 7
As the pasta is boiling, sauté the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and garlic in a large pan and cook until tender.
Step 5 / 7
Add the sliced San Marzano tomatoes along with their juice to the pan and simmer on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until reduced. Add salt, pepper, or a pinch of sugar as needed.
Step 6 / 7
Once the spaghetti is al-dente, add to the pan with the sauce, along with a little pasta water and ensure every strand of spaghetti is coated. 9. Add in the caramelised datterini tomatoes, basil, and oregano.
Step 7 / 7
Toss together and serve piled high on a plate.
Discover ‘Campania: Recipes & Wanderings Across Italy’s Polychromatic Coast’, a new cookbook in the series between Belmond and Apartamento that blends food and travel.
From April to October 2025, our iconic train reunites with star chefs Atul Kochhar, Phil Howard and Andrew Wong for the relaunch of the Celebrity Chef Dinners series. Today, join our special guests to find out what modern British food means to them and how together, we celebrate the diversity of Britain’s culinary scene.
Discover how native Madeiran José Diogo Costa, Creative Executive Chef at Reid's Palace in Funchal, transposed the island’s abundance of tropical fruits and liqueurs into the perfect scoop at Gelateria San Giorgio.
Kirthanaa Naidu’s heritage inspires her work as a Malaysian Indian-born cook, stylist and creative director. Discover some of her Malaysian cookery staples, from savoury belacan to fragrant pandan, as told in our cookbook collaboration with Apartamento.
Whisky might be smooth, but knowing which one to order can be anything but. Millie Milliken, award-winning spirits writer and head of content for OurWhisky Foundation – a non-profit that lifts women in the global whisky industry – provides an expert guide to make sense of it when you see it on a menu.
From gold-plated dining overlooking the Venetian lagoon to pan-Asian elegance in the heart of Rio, Belmond is proud to offer some of the best Michelin-star restaurants in the world.
In our second Belmond and Apartamento book, ‘Penang: Recipes & Wanderings Around an Island in Malaysia’, we disembark in Georgetown along with acclaimed chef André Chiang. Among his storied anecdotes and rich lessons on local cultures, the Taiwan-born culinary curator of the Eastern & Oriental Express tells us all about a staple of Malaysian cuisine – the duck curry dish.