IL Divo, a new Italian restaurant which opened at the end of 2013 took over the site of a former, very mediocre Brazilian rodizio buffet. The restaurant has tastefully been re-decorated, but admittedly in a very short time its decorative charm already needs a bit of TLC. It’s silly things really, such as lightbulbs out, cracked paint jobs and a broken window. With food this good you can easily forget about these imperfections, but it’s no excuse.Behind the opening of IL Divo is Italian born chef, Carlo Salodini, who at the age of 15 started cooking in his home town of Brescia. Carlo was trained by Italian chef Pietro Palazzo who after a successful career in a restaurant kitchen now teaches cookery classes, also in Brescia. And his training must have been second to none, because the food leaving the kitchen of IL Divo is outstanding.
Our meal started with some very affordable, and quaffable wine. Matched with complementary and what seemed to be an endless supply of thin pizza dough cooked in a wood fired oven and topped with olive oil, garlic and Italian herb seasoning. It was simple, but perfectly executed.
Luckily we decided to share our starter, because what arrived next would have been impossible for one person alone. A huge platter of Italian antipasti, which was a mesmerizing showcase of Italian produce. Everything on the plate was perfect. An heavenly array of Italian meats, with the parma ham being one of the best examples I’ve had in London yet. Even simple things such as the salami feeling as if it were literally melting away in my mouth. Artichoke was juicy and full of flavour while those bright, fresh olives were nutty, juicy and left me longing for more. The cheeses were good, but if anything let the platter down only slightly.
Intermittent pasta dish from the specials board of homemade pasta shells was topped with a deep, rich and concentrated tomato sauce, fennel infused Italian sausage, a good basting of basil oil and lashings of parmesan cheese made me dream of pasta that night – i only wish i was as good of a cook to recreate it at home. I eat pasta far to often, and it takes a lot to satisfy me, and surprise me but IL Divo did just both.
I’ve given IL Divo so much praise already but haven’t even got as far as talking about its main attraction. The pizzas. With Marco Fuso head pizza maker, who according to their website regularly competes in the pizza world cup championships in Italy is a true culinary star – who if i had enough money i’d be stealing and bringing back to my home to cook me a pizza everyday and never letting him go. Their signature pizza, named ‘Divo’ is a thin, crisp and very light base topped with an enthusiastic amount of garlic, broccoli, sausage, mozzarella and sprinkle of chilli. It is without argument one of my favourite pizzas in London.
It didn’t stop there with the classic tiramisu executed with precision and flavour. Well soaked sponge fingers, not at all soggy topped with well whipped cream, fresh and flavoursome, just the right amount of coffee and a light sprinkle of chocolate. This tiramisu can certainly feed a few people but i assure you, you won’t want to share it.
Would i return to IL Divo, of course. This isn’t a culinary revelation, uber modern, or at all breaking foodie boundaries but it does set itself miles apart from the vintage style trattorias, which currently – feel a bit lost in London right now. It’s well priced, offers great service, a lovely atmosphere and above all serves some of the best Italian home-style food in London.
8/10
