Conor Gadd brings us another Italian trattoria
Trullo in Highbury is one of the most beloved restaurants in London, so when chef co-owner Conor Gadd chose to open his first standalone venture, he had a pretty great blueprint to work from. Burro, open in the Covent Garden site that was formerly home to The Petersham, isn’t just a carbon copy of what Conor has in Highbury though.
Described as “part Irish country house kitchen, part 1950s Italian bistro”, the space looks smarter and warmer with lots of mid-century wood, faded red and dusty yellow walls, and velvet banquettes.
Eat This
The food is where Trullo and Burro converge more; both are Italian, and both focus on using good produce and treating it simply. Burro means butter in Italian and the menu certainly has that generous, comforting feel – this is a restaurant where you come to be fed, not challenged.
Dishes don’t stick to one singular region of Italy, with the antipasti section including Sicilian caponata, Venetian chicken liver bruschetta, and Roman-style fried artichokes. The latter was our pick of the starters, finished with bottarga for an extra savoury hit.
The pastas at Burro are superb, as you’d expect given Gadd’s background. The silky fettuccine with a rich duck and porcini ragu was the standout but the delicate tagliarini with mussels and clams was also lovely – and it will be even better enjoyed out on the courtyard once we get some solid sunny days.
As we went for two pastas, we chose just one secondi, the whole lemon sole in a prosecco and caviar butter sauce, with a side of buttery garlic and sage potatoes; the restaurant is called Burro for a reason.
Dessert is where Gadd deviates ever so slightly from his Italian classics playbook. Rather than doing a straight-up tiramisu, he’s reimagined the flavours in doughnut form, with warm and fluffy bombolone sat on a tiramisu cream and covered in grated chocolate. Very indulgent but also surprisingly light.
Drink This
The wine list is all-Italian, with bottles coming from almost all of the country’s winemaking regions but particularly Piedmont and Tuscany. There are also classic Italian cocktails on offer, like negronis and spritzes, plus seasonal soft drinks, including a delightful rhubarb lemonade.
Why Go
Burro is an elegant space serving up Italian classics, including some bloody good pasta, and we can envision sinking several spritzes out on the courtyard in the summer. With Tiella and Osteria Vibrato, London’s had a few great trattoria-style openings lately, and Burro can be added to that list.
Key Information
Address | 2 Floral Court, London, WC2E 9FB
For more information | trattoriaburro.com
