Iddu London

IDDU

http://iddulondon.com

Sicilian food in London: Iddu arrives in Kensington

As Iddu arrives in Kensington, Sudi Pigott explores the pleasures of Sicilian food and why we need to see more of it in the capital Sicilian food deserves to be better recognised in London and I anticipate it happening soon – we’re happily in the vanguard,’ laughs Luca del Bono, looking suave and dispensing granita behind the counter of his sunny restaurant/café, Iddu, next to The South Kensington Club, which he also happens to run.

Fast forward to the present and granita epitomises the rather different and healthier perspective on Sicilian food Luca del Bono is introducing to the capital.

Jacob’s new street food restaurant in Seven Dials, Vico, stars arancini, another Sicilian classic which Carluccio calls the ‘sandwich equivalent of Sicily’ made with risotto rice infused with saffron and all manner of fillings, like oozy strings of mozzarella.

Luca himself rates Locanda Locatelli restaurant for simple Sicilian dishes such as pappardelle with broad beans and pecorino.

I’m hoping Luca del Bono’s Iddu will pave the way for more eruptions of such great Sicilian taste.

The Cake App & Iddu London|Review – Tiger on a Gold Leash

I’ve been recently using CAKE, which is an app that allows you to pick a place with a credit offer on, open your own tab at the beginning of your meal then split or pay the whole bill and leave when you’re ready.

I’ve tried it for the first time at Iddu London, a modern Sicilian cafe space with patio seats in South Kensington.

My date that day was my sister and we had a lovely brunch before heading for a walk in London.

Iddu is a lovely place with an excellent service and food.

The CAKE app just made the whole experience very easy, no worries, no stress and gave my sister and I the opportunity to just talk and relax.

Iddu, London: restaurant review and meet the chef, Francesca D'amico

A wall of fresh oranges and lemons heralds the healthy credentials of this new Sicilian ‘incontro’ (meeting place).

Linked to the South Kensington private members’ club, it offers a lighter take on Sicilian food in caffe-like surroundings with casual decor and an all-day menu.

Forget meaty pastas and hunks of charred meat – the compact dinner menu is big on veg, particularly Sicilian favourite aubergine.

There is also an extensive range of cold and hand pressed juices made in house, from arancia rossa (Sicilian orange) to alkaliser (spinach, kale, clery, lemon, ginger) as a final reminder that at Iddu, health eating is always front of mind.

We serve simple, healthy and delicious dishes; Sicilian food revisited in a healthier way.

Iddu, London, restaurant review - Telegraph

We were, aside from the waiters, who were impeccably dressed in pressed white aprons, and a couple of older gentlemen who had the air of magazine-industry éminences grises (think Stanley Tucci’s character in The Devil Wears Prada), the only men in the place.

To begin, we were guided to a wonderful bottle of red, a Sicilian lamùri (not cheap at £42), from grapes “grown from high on cliffs, so it tastes of the sea”, promised our playful waiter.

By contrast, my vegetable tagliolini, recommended from the specials list, was a dollop of sloppy, overcooked pasta with undercooked aubergine cubes, served on an industrial white plate that spoke more of the British Leyland canteen than it did the land of lemon groves.

Involtini was 'one of the greatest dishes' Paul's dining partner had ever tasted (ANDREW CROWLEY) As we waited for the desserts – his cannoli, a vanilla-filled pastry horn, beat my perfectly nice lemon cheesecake – my eye was caught by the summery cocktail menu, all delightful-sounding spritzes and sea breezes with Sicilian twists – and a by no means extortionate £7.95 apiece.

•Gourmet Italy: what to eat and drink in Sicily Not for the first time, I ordered badly, choosing Fernet-Branca, a bitter, herby, brown liquid like mouthwash with a dash of motor oil.

Iddu, London SW7 – restaurant review | Marina O'Loughlin | Life and ...

A first visit to Iddu, a Sicilian cafe and restaurant owned by the (genuinely Sicilian) chaps who’ve got the South Kensington Club next door, is entirely gladdening.

The menu is short but pleasing: we eat pristine burrata with sun-ripened tomatoes, pasta with vivid spring vegetables, tuna tartare that tastes freshly chopped, bright with lemon and capers, moist almond cake.

Apparently, it’s based on the cuisine of Sicily’s Aeolian Islands; Iddu is local dialect for the legendary volcano, Stromboli.

I spend as much time as I can in Sicily, a mad, wild, ancient place, and can honestly say I’ve never met a plate of raw vegetables called “Aeolian salad” – and charged at nine quid.

There are as many versions of this homespun pepper stew as there are Sicilian dialects.

Iddu | Restaurants in South Kensington, London

But it also bridges the two food cultures brilliantly, with dishes that, though almost embarrassingly healthy, still place pleasure first.

Case in point was a ‘raw Aeolian vegetable salad’ – at least a dozen finely sliced varieties, each one packed with flavour, and so fresh I expected to see dirt on them.

Iddu’s version is flawless, the veg perfectly cooked and all the complex flavours in balance.

And to cap it off, Iddu makes irresistible (and authentically Sicilian) baked goods including cannoli, citrus tarts and biscuits.

Iddu tries to import as much as possible from the homeland, which limits them (no fresh fish for instance), but does mean that ingredients are of five-star quality.