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This mix-and-match pasta specialist is one of the more mellow places to eat in Westfield Stratford City, tucked away from the hurly-burly in a corner near the entrance to Waitrose, and with plenty of tables. The faux-rustic decor does its best to persuade you that you’re not in a shopping centre; the comfort food does the rest.
The menu is pretty simple: run-of-the-mill salads and antipasti to start and limited but rather better desserts (a good tiramisu and bought-in gelati from Grom) to finish. Most diners are here for the bit in the middle. You choose a fresh pasta, either plain (spaghetti, linguine and so on) or filled (ravioli with spinach and ricotta say, or ham and parmesan), then a sauce. These range from a butter and sage to spicy seafood, with a separate list of ‘Roman sauces’, such as carbonara.
Our advice: keep things simple. A tagliatelle with basil pesto was a better bet than aubergine and roasted tomato ravioli topped with beef bolognese; the pesto was a decent step up from a bottled sauce, whereas the bolognese combo was on a par with a ready meal. Keep an eye on the bill, as items are charged individually (one price for the pasta, another for the sauce) and it mounts up fast. On the plus side, staff are cheerful and lightning fast, the place is licensed, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are clearly marked, so even overwrought shoppers can easily navigate the menu.