If there was one area I rarely venture too, its North London. I was actually born in North London, Edgware to be precise and lived here till I was a teenager, yet since then I’ve rarely found a reason for me to come back – until now. Terra Terra on Finchley Road is a small, Italian restaurant inspired by Florence and Bologna’s food markets and is looked after by head chef Massimo Mioli. It’s a great little space and as far as this area goes, I feel confident enough to say it’s the best Italian restaurant in the area right now.
Whilst we settled in and looked over the menu, we tucked into a couple of glasses of Prosecco and some beautiful home-made bread which was all such a joy to eat. Drizzled with rosemary oil and sprinkled with fresh rosemary, this is bread you’ll want to make space for so come hungry.
Thinking about these golden coated cacio e pepe arancini balls only makes me wish I was back here dining again so soon. These stunning balls, filled with a soft and gooey rice filling were so well seasoned and the touch of dried mushroom powder on the top really did make all the difference. Not to mention the mushroom sauce they all sat on top of and the cacio e pepe dipping sauce which was mouth-wateringly good. This is arancini on steroids.
I really did struggle to find fault with the food here at Terra Terra and I loved just how uncomplicated some of the dishes were, letting those ingredients shine for themselves. Two such dishes were the beef carpaccio with crispy parmesan and salsa verde – which was beautiful. As well as the burrata with summer tomato, chilli and capers. That burrata was some of the best you’ll likely to come across in the UK and those sweet tomatoes with a hint of chilli made for a dish I only wanted to eat all over again.
One dish I couldn’t get over just how good it was – bigoli, aglio, olio, peperoncino & clams. This spaghetti dish was almost like the classic aglio e olio we’ve all come to love, but given a twist like no other and it made for a sensational plate of food. The bigoli pasta was cooked absolutely perfectly, the spicy, garlicy sauce was a dream and the touch of chilli gave it a nice depth. Not to the mention those clams, some of the finest I’ve had this year. Is this my pasta dish of the year? It might very well be.
One of the specials from the menu (which changes regularly) was the slow cooked lamb with sweet potato mash, crispy cavolo nero and a sweet, silky jus which was mesmerising. I don’t know quite how they managed to get it as balanced and as rich as it was, but it was simply perfection. Much like that soft lamb meat and If you’ve got room, pair it with a side of the grilled courgettes with pecorino and pine nuts.
For dessert, a very well constructed cannolo, filled with ricotta, chocolate and orange. As well a refreshing bowl of homemade peach and grapefruit sorbets. The perfect ending to what was a really lovely meal. We had a fantastic time here at Terra Terra and its head chef Massimo Mioli really is a talent and well worth seeking out, cooking up some of the best Italian food I’ve had in London. Would we come back? Yes – I’m already planning a return.
