You’ve probably read enough about Padella by now, but I’ll be brief. It’s a small but perfectly performed pasta joint in Borough from the fine folk behind Trullo in Islington. As with many of London’s finest foodie haunts, they don’t take reservations, so you know the drill. Also, be warned – it’s so popular that they occasionally have to close in the afternoon to roll more pasta!
Now, at home, 500g of penne and pesto just isn’t enough, so queuing for 45 minutes to eat 7 pieces of ravioli is a bit of a stretch. But if you are smart with your arrival time, you can avoid that nonsense and enjoy an unhurried meal of great quality (and quantity, if you so wish). Between two, four plates of pasta to share is about right, and you can’t really go wrong. We mixed it up with tagliatelle (with nduja, mascarpone and parsley), pappardelle (as above), ravioli (ricotta filled with sage butter) and the outstanding pici, pictured below.
Yes, that plate of worms is one of London’s hottest dishes at the moment – hand-rolled fat spaghetti of sorts (hailing from Siena in Tuscany), laced with a simple but exceptional cacio e pepe (parmesan and pepper) sauce. Bloody tasty, and worth ordering twice at £6 a go. Elsewhere on the menu, there are a few antipasti options (grab the burrato with Puglian olive oil), plus usually an excellent tart or two for dessert. Chuck in a £6 Negroni and you’ll probably spend around £25-30 a head, but you could escape for a lot less. Either way, you’ll love it – just don’t queue, there’s always the La Tua stall round the corner.
Padella – padella.co
6 Southwark Street, SE1 1TQ
