I was browsing the Michelin guide before I came here, looking for a local restaurant holding a star, or two. Unfortunately for me we are no longer in the recession so everyone seems to be eating at fine dining establishments, before I used to have no problems getting a table when a Pizza Hut buffet was the norm. Il Trillo is the sister restaurant to the family run staple, Massa – situated in the rolling hills of sunny Tuscany. A big winner for me at this hidden little gem was that part of its wine list comprised of wines from the family vineyard – what I tried was of very good quality.
We took a seat in the outdoor/indoor veranda which was very well executed and very romantic – though sadly I’m not the romantic type but can appreciate a pretty room. Food is not particularly cheap here, especially if you get through the traditional four course italian meal the bill can rack up swiftly. An Aperol spritz or two later our first antipasti arrived of mixed baked vegetables, olive oil and buffalo mozzarella. The mozzarella was soft and creamy and olive oil full of flavour – though their was far too much of it and the vegetables soaked it up like a sponge and became for too greasy. It was also far too much for one person to eat so I advise on sharing.
The white onions stuffed with beef, mortadella and herbs, which is then cooked in a white wine Vermentino sauce was heavenly. The onions were sweet and soft, juicy well flavour meat oozed out of the ends though again there was far too much olive oil on the plate, tone that down and this could be a great dish.
All the pasta is handmade here – it makes such a difference and you can really taste authenticity in restaurants these days which put that extra bit of love into their dishes. Beef and thyme ravioli had a lovely well-held together texture and cooked the right side of al dente – the filling was absolutely delicious, but very rich. Just to add even more richness to this dish the whole thing is doused in a meaty, strong flavoured ragu sauce and generous helping of parmesan. We ordered the small sized dish and as you can see, portions are very huge. A solid dish and highly recommendable.
Ploughing through our meal to the secondi and food sweats were already on their way. Fillet of beef with foie gras and cognac sauce served alongside baby red chard arrived at the table. The beef was a little over the medium rare we requested but was still nice – by no means amazing. The rich foie gras based sauced was a real treat. Presentation needs a little work as the dish arrived in a bit of a mess.
Why we ordered a side dish of green beans in garlic and tomato sauce being this full up was beyond me, but i’m glad we did – it was delicious. We also had a dish of beautifully cooked, succulent king prawns and tropea onions which had been flambeed with Laphroaig whisky. Again the chefs idea of presentation consisted of sauce and olis thrown at the plate. Apart from the mess this was probably my favourite of all dishes.
There was huge selection of desserts, all around £8 which for a small Italian in Chelsea is rather pricey. The caramelised apple and pear cake with fiordilatte ice cream and custard was our first choice. The cake itself was light and very moist with lots of pear flavour running through – but not much coming from the apple. The custard and ice cream were both good but sadly forgettable.
Il Trillo is a rare thing in London these days, it offers good quality hearty Italian food that is reminiscent of holidaying in Bologna whereby your filled up to the point you’ll need to either roll home or beg a taxi to take such a mess. This place has a great atmosphere and is perfect for catching up, eating insane quantities of food and leaving very drunk. If you go, which you should make sure to order some of the family made wines.
7/10
