One of my favorite things about keeping a blog is to read the comments left by readers. Last week, I blogged about Palmers, an ambitious restaurant near Victoria Park, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. In the comments section of that blog post, one reader, Mike, recommended that I check out Trullo, an Italian restaurant with River Cafe connections that recently opened close to where I live. I did some googling, and this glowing Dos Hermanos review turned up, so I made a booking asap.
Late last Friday evening, Trullo was packed and buzzy. Jon and I were offered the only available two-person table, which was wedged near the kitchen, but the maitre d’ offered to move us to more spacious quarters once tables opened up. We appreciated the offer, but our table was fine once our neighbors left. (Otherwise, the tables do seem very close together).
I started with a pigeon and radicchio salad with Moscatel dressing, which was exactly what I expected and more. The pigeon was rare and tender, and the bitter crunch of the radicchio was balanced by the sweet dressing. I was reminded of some of the outstanding radicchio dishes at Baita Pie’ Tofana in Cortina. Even better than this walk down memory lane was the toast topped with creamy chicken liver. It hadn’t been included in the menu description, so I considered it a bonus. A well-executed and generous portion for £6.50.
My main course pasta was deliciously simple, as the best pasta tends to be. Tagliarini were silky and delicate, matched perfectly with a giant portion of flavorsome brown shrimp, crunchy courgette slices. The glutton in me wished it had been a larger portion, but actually, it was good that we saved room for a cheese plate and dessert.
Jon chose scallops from the “charcoal grill” section of the menu and was rewarded with sweet, raw-on-the-inside, smoky-with-char-on-the-outside scallops. Creamy, firm borlotti beans were a nice, neutral accompaniment.
By the time we reached the cheese plate and outstanding strawberry-almond tart (£4.50), it was dark outside, so my ability to take photos disappeared.
Trullo is a *very* welcome addition to the neighborhood, and I’m looking forward to bringing friends there. The food’s good, the service is helpful, and the prices are reasonable. I have a feeling I may never get to Zucca now that I have Trullo within walking distance of my house. Actually, even if you live further afield, Trullo is worth a visit.
For two starters, two mains, cheese, dessert and a half bottle of wine for £12, our tab was £60.50.
Trullo Restaurant, 300-302 St. Paul’s Road, N1 2LH; 0207 226 2733; closest tube station: Highbury & Islington
Fantastic. I am loving these cheap(ish) Italians that have opened up; I’m yet to try either, but I definitely will soon.
Yes, I’m loving them, too. I hope good-quality, mid-range Italian restaurants become a popular trend in London, as I’ve always thought the existing good Italian restaurants here were rather expensive. In contrast, in New York, great Italian neighborhood restaurants were pretty common.
I just came back from Trulli paradise, Puglia, and absolutely fell in love with the simple and bold flavours of the local cuisine (http://feedetgastro.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/puglia-vol2-eating-out/) so I imagine I’ll love this place too. Thanks for the heads up. 🙂
Why only half a bottle of wine?
Lol. Only in England do I feel like I’m back in uni when it comes to alcohol . . . I was the only one drinking that evening and had just come from after-work drinks. Good enough?
You either need to use a flash (No!!!), stop standing in your own light (possibly) or stop taking photographs of your food (yes!!!). It’s a nasty habit and does chef a disservice. There’s a reason professional food photographers get paid lots of money.
Well, to stop taking photos of food is basically asking all food bloggers to stop existing, which is a point of view I don’t support (as you can imagine).
I refuse to use a flash or a large camera largely bc I think it’s more respectful to other diners (and ultimately the restaurant) if I don’t disrupt others’ meals. I also try to take photos super quickly (no more than one shot, really) to stay anonymous and non-disruptive.
As you can tell, my only source of light was the candle on the table. I think my trusty little Lumix p&s did alright under the circumstances. lol.
But you raise a valid point that these particular photos came out pretty bad. Next time I eat at Trullo, I’ll make sure it’s lunchtime so I can take better photos using natural light.
Thanks for the heads up… I’ll be sure to try it out soon, I’ve been hoping for a lovely Italian in Islington for a while so I have high hopes for Trullo.
Love it! Must try!
That’s the thing about good Italian food isn’t it? Simplicity. It’s such a confident way of serving food. The portions look really generous too; definitely one to add to the list.
[…] eaten a delicious dinner at Trullo last week (which was opened a few weeks ago by one of the first fifteen chef-apprentices trained at Fifteen […]
I do need to try! haven’t seen your post before, got me really hungry now.
[…] steak courses were out-of-this-world. On a more modest scale, the arrival in our neighborhood of low-priced Italian, Trullo, was warmly welcomed, and ready-for-franchise-but-good Dishoom convinced me they’re on to a […]
If you ever feel like having a nice italian pizza you can try Oregano Pizzeria in Islington.
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/29492.htm
Very good pizza.
[…] that make restaurants shine. The true benefactors are probably the Islingtoners (erm..), like AAiL, now blessed with this lovely neighbourhood haunt that turns out such fabulous food, will be […]
[…] visit. And I definitely can’t help comparing our dinner at Locanda with my repeat dinner at Trullo just this past Monday […]
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Bless you!
[…] see An American in London, One Girl Three Cities and The Little […]
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