Looking in through the window of Trullo in north London. Spot the photographer
The invitation to eat at Trullo piqued my interest but also brought out the inner pedant in me (not always so inner, I admit). The idea of an extensive all-Italian wine list caught my attention immediately, as did the promise of a simple, seasonal approach to hyper-regional Italian cooking, even if the inner pedant did prepare to raise an eyebrow at the ‘hyper’ bit.
The inner pedant was right, as it turned out, because what Trullo does is simple, rustic dishes inspired by Italian regions using seasonal, regional British ingredients alongside Italian: Westcombe ricotta, St Austell mussels, Brixham cod, Norfolk quail, Amalfi lemon, fiocco di Culatello, Castelluccio lentils, Puglian and Tuscan olive oils et al; eight or nine choices of antipasti, five primi and four or five choices of ‘oven and grill’
It’s an idea that works and is executed well. With one caveat. Salt. There was a lot of it, pervading all the dishes we had; so much so that the blood orange fritti with quail were inedible, not just for me with my low salt threshold, but for Prof. X with his normal salt threshold. Over-salting is hardly uncommon in restaurants – in attempts to disguise the absence of other flavours and culinary skills – but Trullo’s dishes don’t need it.
Hand-dived Salcombe Bay scallops with 'nduja and Amalfi lemon. 'As always, nduja in generous quantities was hard on the wine
Let’s move on to the wine list, the mention of which is where the inner pedant first emerged, although it wasn’t the wines but the invitation that brought it out. I was exhorted to ‘experience London’s most beloved wine list’. I’m barely over wine lists being ‘curated’ (the inner pedant still thinks of curating as something done by people organising art galleries). To find that lists are now ‘beloved’, not just loved or liked, is, well, a red flag. And ‘most beloved’ according to whom? Don’t worry, I’ll get over it.
There is a very interesting line-up – worth the detour – of grower Champagnes (£120–£449 a bottle), an own-label Champagne sourced by the excellent Charles Heidsieck (£95) and four English sparkling wines from good producers. After that, it’s Italian all the way, divided into white and red in broad regions (Piedmont & North west, North east, Tuscan & Central, South & islands, etcetra) and separate sections each for Orange, Rosato and Dessert & fortified.
Finocchiona crochettes – rustic, comforting and good with the impeccable Pieropan La Rocca Soave
Prices are fair, and often better than that among less-known wines, but the real attraction is the depth and breadth of what is on offer and some thoughtful, as well as safe, wine by the glass and 50cl carafe options: including an orange and a rosé. The list of aperitifs includes Trullo Martini, Rhubarb Sour, non-alcoholic Pentire & Clementine cocktail (Pentire is one of my favourite no-lows) and Lucky Saint (0.5%).
By the glass options include the new Trullo Gavi di Gavi, which joins Trullo’s own-label Chianti. A minute taste of the latter suggests a welcome, crowd-pleasing but authentic Chianti, as one would hope from Alberto Antonini of Poggiotondo via Liberty Wines, (£9 per glass; £47 bottle).
Norfolk quail and blood orange fritti with aioli that did its best to subdue the saltiness, but it was a losing battle with the salt-encrusted orange
The Gavi di Gavi 2021, from Produttori di Gavi via Alliance Wine, could be better (£10; £59 bottle). It served as a wallflower-type aperitif before being further subdued by our antipasti: tasty Finocchiona crochettes and Salcombe Bay scallops with ‘nduja and Amalfi lemon. Let’s hope future vintages will be more interesting. Pieropan’s La Rocca 2022 was as good as expected from this stellar Soave producer, although the heat of the generously applied ‘nduja didn’t do it any favours (£14; £83 bottle).
With our primi, Norfolk quail and (salt-bludgeoned) blood orange fritti with aioli (technically this was another antipasti) and Tagliarini with chopped St Austell mussels, Florence fennel and saffron, we had glasses of Garlider Sylvaner 2021 from the Dolomites and Trediberri Langhe Nebbiolo 2023.
Tagliarini with chopped St Austell mussels, fennel and saffon, paired with an Alpine Italian Sylvaner and, more adventrously, a Langhe Nebbiolo
The Sylvaner, an often overlooked and underrated variety, was the suggestion of the general manager Jake Norman and it was a good one, with its cool fruit and Alpine mineral precision (£72 per bottle; not offered by the glass). I chose a Langhe Nebbiolo because it’s a red that often works with fish, even sauced shellfish, and it did. Trediberri's 2023 is expressive, perfumed, pure-fruited and silky (£11.50; £66).
From the ‘oven and grill’ section, we had Brixham cod with Castelluccio lentils, salsa rossa and palourde clams (which I forgot to photograph) and Braised galloway ox cheek in Trullo Chianti with soft polenta and salsa verde. Our by-the-glass wines were Dalzocchio Pinot Nero 2019 from Trentino (£16; £95 bottle) and Sesti Rosso di Montalcino 2022 (£13.50; £77 bottle), both of which worked in their different ways.
A food-friendly Sesti Rosso di Montalcino 2022 paired well with the braised Galloway ox cheek with soft polenta and salsa verde
The savoury, earthy nuttiness and delicately sweet fruit of the mature Pinot Noir found an echo in the lentils and cod, although it was rather stripped by the spicy salsa rossa. The food-friendly Sesti Rosso di Montalcino, an old favourite, was more than up to the rich, meaty oxtail.
Is the wine list now beloved by me? Certainly not, but I highly recommend it, as I do the food – salt quantities excepted – and the whole Trullo experience. It’s a friendly, buzzy, low-lit (witness the photos), Italianate local on a high street in north London, conveniently close to Highbury & Islington station. I travelled in especially from Kent and would do it again. I might even shut the inner pedant up next time.
Trullo, 300 - 302 St Paul's Road, London N1 2LH.
Photographs by Joanna Simon
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