Beautiful in its three-ingredient simplicity, discover our favourite places in London to enjoy the Roman dish of cacio e pepe.
Big Mamma's vintage Italian trattorias, cocktail bars and restaurants have shaken up the French dining scene and looking to replicate their success in London. Created in 2014 Big Mamma sets out to evoke "the generosity, humor and simplicity of Italian gastronomy" and like the Mamma, the restaurants are designed to welcoming and convivial. Think laid-back, vibey trattoria serving authentic Italian food - handmade on site and with products sourced directly from Italy. Gloria - their first London site (previously home to Red's True Barbecue) accommodates 160-covers across two floors with a design replicating the aesthetic of Capri in the 1970s (think vintage candelabra and pink pinstripe upholstery). On the menu, brimming with produce all directly sourced from Italy, as is the Big Mamma way, expect wildly indulgent Italian classics. Gloria’s menu features cacio e pepe pasta (now carbonara) inside a wheel of cheese, a 10-layer lasagne, lobster risotto and a lemon meringue pie with an over-all theme of decadently sized dishes designed for sharing.
The restaurant, described as 'elegant with nods to classic Italian glamour' is situated within the delightful Hari Hotel on Chesham Place. Designed by renowned British designer Tara Bernerd (she also designed the entire hotel), Vespa green lacquer takes centre stage as the focal colour and a striking central bar embraces the Italian late afternoon aperitivo spirit. Head Chef, Claudio Conino (formerly of Novikov and Locanda Locatelli), expresses his commitment to traditional cooking from scratch, with everything being made in-house including the pasta and bread as well as all the smoking and curing. There is also a selection of sharing dishes, which are presented, finished and served tableside including; the rustic tagliolini cacio pepe where the server uses a large wheel of Pecorino cheese to mix the fresh pasta creating a rich, silky and creamy sauce.
A follow-up to Highbury's Trullo, this time in the decidedly more central environs of Borough Market. This (no bookings) restaurant serves a variety of affordably priced handmade pasta dishes, including some of Trullo's 'greatest hits'. Padella (meaning pan in Italian) serves just a short seasonal menu of eight pasta dishes, along with a few antipasti (like a ball of burrata cheese with Tuscan olive oil and beef fillet carpaccio), plus dessert options. This two-floor restaurant (open every day) takes over from the old Degustibus restaurant (accessible from within Borough Market as well as the street) and features an open kitchen, marbled counter seating and a handful of tables. The pasta is made fresh on site before being served and rolled in full view of the passers-by. Order their take on the unassuming but utterly delicious pici cacio e pepe: fat, al dente spaghetti with butter, Parmesan and black pepper.
An Italian restaurant, bar and takeaway focused on the food of Rome from Stevie Parle. The casual all-day restaurant (open seven days a week) is a celebration of the food of Rome, a city Parle (also of Dock Kitchen, Craft London) first visited at the age of 17 (when he was a commis chef at River Café). Named after one of the seven ancient hills of Rome, Palatino aims to offer simple, elegant and tasty dishes alongside a 45 bin, all-Italian wine list. Its open kitchen is designed around three core elements: a fresh pasta machine; a wood burning grill for an array of meat dishes and a stone oven for fresh pizza bianco and pastries. Dishes (divided into antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci) range from creations based on ancient Roman recipes through to more contemporary offerings. Discover Roman-favourite tonnarelli (a fresh square-cut spaghetti) clad in a pleasantly-light pecorino sauce, speckled with a generous sprinkling of Tellicherry pepper.
A new-style Italian restaurant comes to Chelsea with real Italian Mammas at the helm. Every season the restaurant imports an Italian Mamma from a different region of Italy. These Mammas take over the kitchen and create a selection of regional dishes alongside an A La Carte menu with dishes from all over the peninsula. The 65-cover restaurant houses an open plan kitchen where you can observe the Mammas at work, creating their signature dishes - on hand is also executive chef Marco Giugliano (previously of Quattro Passi and Il Baretto in Mayfair) - with pastas freshly prepared and hand-made daily and a selection of meats and fish cooked slowly on the charcoal Robata Grill. Their version of cacio e pepe sits on the a la carte menu alongside dishes from all over Italy.
Ideal For
A taste of Italy
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Where to Eat: Cacio e Pepe
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Tasty
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Various
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Italian
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