A Tavola, “to the table”, is the call to eat in Italian homes, and the table in this instance is the marble communal number that dominates the front dining room at this local favourite, basking in the glow of copper lights and the simpatico welcome of the Italian staff. Home-style cooking is the touchstone, house-made pasta the star – pappardelle, say, tossed with beef ragù, its richness balanced by lemon zest, or nubs of octopus teamed with pasta seashells and cherry tomatoes, charged with ‘nduja and showered with pangrattato. Antipasti might be burratina on a bed of nutty lentils and sweetcorn. The wine list ranges the length of the boot with plenty of highlights on the way. Cherry panna cotta laced with bay leaf is a not entirely successful departure from the classic, but if pasta is your pleasure, you’ll want to join the faithful and get to the table at this popular trattoria, too.
