There has been a lot of buzz lately within the foodie community, about London’s latest Italian opening. Situated the realms of Borough Market, resides Padella. A pasta joint that everyone are going crazy for, waiting hours on end to get a seat. We even heard Michel Roux Jr queued to try out Padella and was throughly impressed.
The Dynamic Duo set to work! Binny and I left the warmth of our homes and headed south to Borough Market. We had arrived at around 5pm, they were due to reopen for the evening. To our surprise, we were the first ones in the queue and were seated within five minutes. We must not be destined to queue, as the same thing happened at The Barbary.
We opted for seats at the bar so we could watch over the chefs at work. Grating away an lovely soft parmesan cheese, cooking large pots of sauce and getting portions of fresh pasta ready for business.
We both settled down and ordered some drinks. I got myself a prosecco and Binny ordered a red wine.
Observing and taking in the surroundings. Watching the chefs preparing pasta sauces, tasting and re-seasoning to ensure it was perfect before each dish was served. They had such a great system going on between the chefs, all working in harmony and very efficiently.
We ordered some antipasti whilst we waited for our mains to arrive. Binny ordered the burrata and I had Castelvetrano green olives, which were delicious. I had taste of Binny’s burrata and I was pleasantly surprised! I’m not normally a burrata fan, as I find the texture can be quite squidgy and it just falls apart when you eat it. However, the burrata at Padella was excellent and I actually didn’t mind it! Winning burrata right here.
By the time Binny and I caught each other up on our days and finished off our antipasti, we our mains had arrived. Super fast service!
I had my eye on the 8-hour Dexter beef shin pappardelle for the longest time and the build up to visiting Padella made it worth while. It was absolutely divine! The pasta was fresh and cooked perfectly al dente, the meat was tender and ragu was so flavourful. It was just perfect. Binny’s Ravioli of Neal’s Yard goats curd with marjoram butter just looked stunning. Simple, but exquisitely made. I loved how there was lots of marjoram butter too, to prevent the ravioli being dry either. Bravo Padella!
If I wasn’t already excited enough to eat at Padella, they even had my second favourite dessert… chocolate tart! (We all know my favourite dessert though – at least I hope you do!) The chocolate tart was dreamy, creamy and perfectly sweet. I would have preferred the tart to be a little more buttery, crumbly and thicker, but that’s my personal preference. Binny went for classic vanilla ice-cream to finish our meal on a rather sweet note!
Overall, a unforgettable foodie experience at Padella. I’m sure Binny and I will be back in the future, as it’s probably become one of my favourite restaurants for when i’m craving good pasta!
Overall star rating at Padella:
Until next time…
