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.

Ted fancies a dinner date near a tube station

… I didn’t know that I did actually though until The Doll came home with a Morgan Price infographic that rather helpfully shows the average price of a meal using a selection of London’s tube stations as reference points. Zoom in on a tube station and you'll see what I mean. She said “let’s see if we can find the best value for money in central London Ted”. I immediately knew exactly where we would go.  Yes, dear readers we would go to one of my personal favourites located between the Tottenham Court Road and Covent Garden tubes.

Rossodisera (sunset?) in Monmouth Street is the pride and joy of friends Samuele and Igor, and a tribute to all things authenticate and delicious which they import directly from their favourite producers in their home region of Le Marche in Italy. Situated in the middle of Italy, Le Marche has the beautiful Adriatic Sea on one side and joins up inland with several regions in the Italian hinterland - its more famous neighbours being Tuscany and Umbria. The restaurant frontage is very unassuming and from the street looks like a typical little Italian deli with a small number of tables occupied by people who always look like they are having a good time. The “diner happiness factor” is a top Ted indicator when choosing a restaurant.

The Doll and I were given a table downstairs where the kitchen is and proceeded to pour over the menu while breathing in all the delicious smells and eyeing up the wine collection. They have a set menu which is exceptional value for money at £13.90 for 2 courses and £17.90 for 3 courses. In the interests of research naturally I would have chosen off that menu if the Doll hadn’t said “Ted let’s have the Salumi e Fromaggi platter of cured meats and local cheeses with honey and preserves and that delicious home-made bread, and then I’m having the mushroom and truffle pasta because they do it properly with butter and parmesan cheese and no cream”.  Ah ok why not – so for my main I chose lamb chops with casseroled whole artichokes and some (Italian naturally) oven roasted tomatoes with basil on the side.

Everything was in balance, fresh, clean, earthy, sweet, and salty, all playing harmoniously together in your mouth, complimented beautifully by a wine made from a local grape Vernaccia Nera. This grape is actually known by many names in different places - the Spanish call it Garnacha and claim it as their own, and in Sardegna (Sardinia) it’s known as Cannonau and naturally they refute the Spanish claim. I know this much – I like the version that comes from Le Marche and I know you’ll love Rossodiserra and the fabulous Italian hospitality they will show you.