Ten restaurants that recapture that holiday feeling
Not risking a trip abroad this summer? We don't blame you. Thankfully, you don't need to travel far to have your appetite for foreign flavours sated. London is a melting pot, bubbling with traditional cuisines from around the world. It's also a launching pad for bold and experimental fusion concepts.
From the dining room that fully immerses its guests in the Italian experience to the hidden-under-the-arches gem offering a one-way ticket to Porto, these restaurants conjure up our favourite holiday destinations, transporting us far, far away via our taste buds
The bottle-lined walls are a social media addict’s dream, and that’s before we even get to the food. Circolo Popolare is part of Big Mamma, the trendy French restaurant group specialising in Italian cuisine that arrived first in London in the form of Gloria: a 70s Capri-style trattoria in Shoreditch. And since summer 2019, sister Circolo has been the younger sibling residing in Fitzrovia.
The restaurant draws inspiration from rustic Sicily. Starting from the top: order the burrata, a snowy globe that pools into a gooey mess, white cheese merging with vivid, garlicky pesto. If pizza is your dream meal, rest easy – you can enjoy an entire metre of it to share. Pasta can’t be missed, and the la gran carbonara is served at your table, with spaghetti and egg yolk mixed into a whole round of pecorino. It’s pure theatre and exactly what Circolo is all about. However, it was the decadent curls of black truffle-covered mafaldine al tartufo that we were spooning from our plates, even when we were undeniably full. If room remains for pudding, the Insta-famous lemon meringue pie (also a favourite at Gloria) is not to be missed. With prices pitched at high-street level, Circolo is an affordable option for eating alongside the cool crowd.
