Padella

Pasta bar in London Bridge

Padella

The single dish concept restaurant trend still appears to be going strong in 2016, while Padella does not solely on cooking pasta dishes, it is its main focus and are the only choice for your main course. The restaurant is spread across two floors with an open kitchen and bar counter seating on the ground floor, it is a no booking restaurant, but I have easily managed to secure a seat for a Sunday lunch. The menu is short with a small selection of classic antipasti dishes such as burrata and bruschetta, followed by 6-7 pastas dishes as main. The drink menu has a range of Italian classics such as Negroni and Aperol Spritz, as well as beer and wine on taps.

Salame and Burrata

Ravioli of ricotta with sage butter

Tagliatelle with nuja

The tagliatelle with asparagus was the stood out dish, the pasta was cooked to perfection with a delightful mild nutty aroma from the pecorino. The Norfolk asparagus were simply outstanding: fresh, sweet and crisp. The classic ravioli with butter and sage was also done in a fine manner. It was not overly rich with a lovely hint of aromatic and peppery nose, again the texture of the pasta was spot on. The most expensive of the item on the menu was the pappardelle with beef shin ragu, the seasoning of the beef was rich and bold without overpowering, it was yet another very solid dish. 

Tagliarini with bottarga

Tagliatelle with new season asparagus and pecorino

Pappardelle with Dexter beef shin ragu

Almond tart and chocolate tart

I like what I have experienced at Padella, they have indeed done a fine job get dished up some quality pasta dishes. Nothing fancy, nothing creative, just good old fashioned, humble pasta dishes done properly using fresh ingredients. Without question there are more refined pasta cooking elsewhere in London, but for that price bracket, Padella is hard to beat. My only criticism would be the portion sizes, as they are not the biggest and it is hard to imagine just 1 plate would be enough for an adult so I would suggest sharing at least 3 plates for 2 people.

Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£29 per head with a beer

Average cost without drinks and services:
£18

 6 Southwark St, Greater London SE1 1TQ

http://padella.co/