(Short review:)

The food is fu*%ing amazing! The service is top notch and the interior is lovely and romantic. I’d give it 100 stars if I could!!!

(Long Review:)

So I have been thinking about my restaurant reviews lately. I have had some modest success and have even gained a few followers, and I have wondered what makes a good review? What can I say that will encourage or delight you enough to try a new dining experience?

I recently saw a post in IG about unique ways Londoners say “I love you.” One was “I would travel from south London to north London during a train strike for you.”

So, my dears, I would travel from south London (so far out there is no tube station) during a strike to eat at this restaurant. I would even travel again from the Pacific Northwest of the United States again to eat at Gloria. Never was a restaurant more aptly named, for it is, indeed glorious!

The best food is like music. It is a symphony of excellently balanced notes with each individual member harmonizing and supporting the other, and that is what the food at Gloria is, a symphony. The two starters which we had, the “Aspargi Con Salsa Verde” and “Simply the Best Bruschetta” (their name not mine, though I do not disagree with the them), were a perfect introduction. The asparagus was tender and brilliantly green (which for anyone who has cooked the stuff knows is damn difficult to achieve) and with the bright verde sauce, two-year old Parmigiano Reggiano, and the surprising (I say surprising because I wouldn’t have thought they would go well, but they did) hazelnuts was a deceptively simple dish. Then the Bruschetta, which is also a deceptive dish for its simplicity, was lovely. The creaminess of the stracciatella from Puglia was balanced so well with the pesto, crispy bread, and the acidity of the fresh tomatoes. It reminded me of eating fresh tomatoes, bread, and cheese from the market on the sun-warmed steps near the Santa Maria del Fiore. The very best food evokes memories I think, and this one transported me back to being 20 and in Florence.

If our starters reminded me of being young and in Florence, our mains, the Ravioloni Al Formaggio and Paccheri Alla Norma made me feel like I was at home in my great-grandmother’s kitchen. When my GG would cook I could feel her love in the food, and that is what this food made me feel, love. The food at Gloria has been created thoughtfully and with love and it comes through with every bite. The perfectly cooked Ravioloni with its with smoked stracciatella and ricotta with the Parmigiano cream and wild garlic sauce was the crescendo for my evening. A dish so well balanced and flavorful that I wanted to lick the dish clean. It was a lovely counterpoint to the Norma with its earthy tomato and aubergine sauce and fresh ricotta al limone.

Finally we finished our meal with the Sorbetto del Giorno, which was strawberry that day. I fear I have no picture because it was too delicious and didn’t last long. It was the perfect finale to the most soulful and delicious meal.

The service was impeccable and our waiter was charming and helpful. The interior of the restaurant is utterly delightful. Take someone you love with you or someone you’re actually fond of, for the interior is romantic and gorgeously decorated. (Yes, I suppose you can take business people or friends here as well and they will appreciate the excellent food. You could even take annoying family members as their mouths will be too busy eating and they might shut up for more than 5 minutes.) But really, I think you should take someone you love (or want to love) here.

Eating at Gloria for the first time will now be a lovely memory, but I think what made Gloria exceptional was the memories of the past it brought up for me as well. But perhaps that is what the very best dining experiences do, they are that magical alchemy of food and memory.

(Oh, and it really is worth traveling to even during a train strike.)