Ted goes pan handling

… well not quite in the truest sense of the word which is actually to go begging with your arm stuck out like a pan handle … no, I literally I went in search of a new cooking pan and on my way to the "buy things here to cook in" store I saw a brand new restaurant called Padella – which translates as “pan” in Italian.

I got very excited naturally and then as I stared in the windows I saw that the people inside were builders and not chefs, paahh, so off I went and forgot all about it … that was until I was really hungry the other night and thought Italian food would do the trick nicely thanks. It’s the baby (apparently it will be an only child for a while anyway) of the duo who run Trullo in Islington.  Trullo gets loads of fabulous reviews and has achieved its aim of being a residential local with its authentic and delicious Italian food. Their new little pride and joy is all marble counters and wooden stools and buzzy noise and being able to eat good food cheaply and drink reasonably price wine, just a stone’s throw from the financial heart of the City of London.

It looks very handsome from the street with big windows and clean lines and the kitchen in plain sight. The Trullo duo decided that you can get loads of great pizza in London already and so they would focus on handmade pasta at low prices. Each morning the chefs make the day’s pasta on a counter by the window (marble benches are good for managing the temperature of pasta and pastry etc) and provide a show for passers-by. There’s a short choice menu with a few starters and then pasta dishes for mains with a couple of puddings to follow. I started with a Negroni (all self-proclaimed Italian joints must be called upon to make this Italian classic) and this one passed the Ted test and I pronounced it good.  

Then I decided on a bit of a meat feast with the beef carpaccio (hand cut of some notable provenance which I’ve forgotten oh wait it was Dexter beef) and then the Pappardelle with an 8 hr beef ragu. The Doll went with some green stuff called salad (err… yeah ... yum) and then some spaghetti with a tomato sauce. The chefs were all smiling, the waiting staff happy, and I think that the small choice menu for food and drinks really works in this kind of environment.

Why if it hadn’t been for the woman next to me with the screechy off the decibel scale voice talking abject nonsense to her dining partner it would have been a totally enjoyable interlude.