Trullo

Once one of London’s trendy young upstarts, Trullo has now settled into comfortable, respectable middle age. Lots of good restaurants get hurled off the capital’s increasingly chaotic merry-go-round, so it’s a testament to Trullo’s staying power that it remains packed on a Thursday evening. The menu is sophisticated and assured - even in London in 2024 it takes rock solid confidence to put bruschetta with calves' brains on your menu, and yet, there it is, cooked down in a pool of Marsala and wild garlic.

There’s no flash to the interiors either - Trullo is the ultimate in stripped-back minimalism, with timber floors and frames, and draped white tablecloths. St John without the whitewash, if you like. Huge street-side windows at the front make sure that the restaurant is bright and airy, even in the late evening. The acoustics aren’t fantastic but you might appreciate the buzz of a loud restaurant (even if it leaves you shouting a little louder than usual at your dining companion).

The menu, too, has something in common with St John and the hyper-seasonal, minimal movement that it ushered in. Great ingredients at their peak, paired with wonderful things. The antipasti is not your average assortment of cheese and charcuterie - there’s some wonderful cooking hiding here, like early season broad beans in a salad of butterleaf, mint and pecorino, and a whole quail, perfectly cooked and slathered in ‘nduja. Save room for excellent pasta dishes too - the beef shin pappardelle is still a must order, but on this occasion it’s eclipsed by a sensational pork and veal ragu fettuccine.

A chunky dish of cod, charred leeks and mussels was very much the sum of its parts and lacked the same joy as the rest, but by that point Trullo had already made a distinct impression. Come here, devour the antipasti and pasta, gulp down a slice of Amalfi lemon tart and a glass of flinty Col Fondo Prosecco and you might think you’ve found the best Italian restaurant in London.

Trullo is now known to many as the restaurant that birthed Padella. But this humble Islington trattoria is so much more. After all, incredible handmade pasta is just one of Trullo's many facets. This relaxed, buzzy space boasts enormous windows that flood the room with natural light. In the evening, the mood becomes a more romantic, low-lit setting. 

While the wine and service at Trullo continue to keep it in our favourite restaurants, the food here comes first. As such, it's best to go for all four courses here (antipasti, primi, mains, dessert). While the menu changes pretty much daily, there is a certain style of dish you can expect here. You might start the meal with some house sourdough (baked that morning) with Fiorano Estate olive oil, some burrata with datterini tomato crostini or even a chargrilled Norfolk quail with aioli. 

This, however, is just the beginning. The pasta at Trullo is without a doubt unmissable. Typically, there are around four or five options, all excellent. You could opt for the simplest of the simple - pici cacio e pepe. Or go classic with ricotta and sage ravioli, pappardelle with beef shin ragu or tagliarini with slow-cooked tomato sauce. 

The standard doesn't slip with the next course, where you can expect large cuts for sharing, usually grilled. You might see a 42-day aged Belted Galloway T-bone, or a whole Brixham brill, while a vegetarian option might be Florence fennel, porcini mushrooms and grilled radicchio and bitter leaves. Finish with an Amalfi lemon tart if you can manage it, and an affogato if you can't.

The wine list at Trullo is to the point, celebrating a wide range of Italian grapes, with plenty of bottles under the £40 mark. The wine list, like the food menu, changes regularly, making this a restaurant worth coming back to.