Padella — Restaurant in London

It could be that the luck was at my side as I wanted to try Padella for a long time and have been trying to book myself in through their app or by standing outside. Monday 31 Aug was the last day of EOTHS and, while I was coming back from Shoreditch, thought to try my luck.

Jamie have been kind enough to get me in. I heard they make their pasta in house and could see a man inside next to the front window making it through a machine.

Do check their menu on the website before you decide to go in as your favorite pasta might not be getting serve on that day.

I like the way they got the tables around. It was like you are in small corner of the borough market. It was full and they were taking last orders of their afternoon round and then they open again at 5.

Their menu is simple, and small as you can see in the pictures.

Pegan was my server and recommended me to order "Pappardelle with 8 hour dexter beef shin ragu" if I am in mood of something cheesy and meaty.

I have noticed that although the staff were attentive but they were not interested in talking. Just like Pegan, she was efficiently doing her job, less chatty and getting the service done.

In a round broad white plate, my pasta was served. It seems like Pappardelle was cut into pieces so I can easily eat it along with the meat, nicely cooked with the right amount of sauce and cheese topped. The meat was so soft that it just melted in my mouth.

Since am a cheese lover, I don't mind having more cheese neither more pasta.

The original price for this pasta is £10, with EOTHS, it cost me £5 and seeing the quantity, quality and service I had, guess £5 is the right price.

Service charge was added in my bill which is an optional charge. When I ask Pegan to remove it, she questioned me that do I not like anything? I like everything, however, being a customer, I know my right and service charge is an optional charge, not mandatory, it should not be added neither we should question about it.

Anyways, the charge was removed and happily, I left the place feeling accomplished that this restaurant is finally ticked off from my list.

Will I go again? Only if I...

Was it amazing? No. Was it good value for money? Yes.

Since I was meeting a friend around the London Bridge area, I came across this place while searching for somewhere nearby to eat. From what I had read, there are often queues outside, which made us a little uneasy—would we have to wait long? That detail also probably raised our expectations. We arrived close to opening time on Wednesday evening and, thankfully, there was no queue (though by the time we left, a short line had formed).

I really liked the interior design—it’s thoughtful and creates a pleasant atmosphere. The menu is extremely small, which, rather than making choices easier, actually made it a bit harder for us. We were seated at a tiny table downstairs—so small that I found myself wondering where we could even put a sharing plate if we had ordered one.

We ordered the Fettuccine with Scottish girolles and the Tagliarini with Dorset crab, chili & lemon, along with a bottle of Assi Bianco 2021 and a tiramisu. Honestly, I didn’t find the pasta to be outstanding. Was it tasty? Yes. The crab pasta especially was good, but not something worth queueing up for. The wine was excellent, and the tiramisu arrived in a huge portion—big enough for the two of us to share, which was satisfying, though it wasn’t the best tiramisu I’ve ever had.

After a while, the noise level downstairs became extremely high—so much so that my smartwatch even gave me a “loud environment” warning. To be honest, that really took away from the enjoyment...

There's a reason why this restaurant is packed every night. Just located outside Borough Market, this place is a must-go if you want to try delicious pasta at a very reasonable price. The menu is not extensive, but everything is made fresh, no microwave food here! You get a sizeable amount of pasta and it's just delicious. My friend and I shared a bruschetta, the Ravioli of Westcombe ricotta with slow cooked tomato sauce, and the Stracci with sweet onion, thyme & gorgonzola fonduta, before finishing with a slice of chocolate tart. I was a bit nervous about whether I'd like the gorgonzola, but the taste was balanced so well.

How booking works: The restaurant doesn't have an online booking system in the usual sense - a QR code is placed outside the restaurant at 4.30PM sharp every day except Mondays. You'll most likely already find a queue snaking around the corner prior to 4.30PM but that's okay! The queue should move very quickly -- just make you have your phone camera ready to scan the code and enter in your details. Once the restaurant officially opens at 5PM, every booking is placed in a virtual queue and you'll see real time updates as to when your table is ready. The smaller your party, the more likely you'll be seated quicker. Once your table is ready, you'll be asked to confirm whether you're coming or not and you'll have 10 minutes to get to the front door. This system does mean there's no telling when exactly you'll be seated, but you'll have...