LDNReview
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Palatino
Let’s say you’ve had a series of doomed internet dates that have gone from bad to worse. But just as you’re about to give up hope, out of the midst of this shitshow emerges someone who looks too good to be true. You arrange to meet for a drink and surprisingly, they’re warm, funny, and you get on like two recovering alcoholics in an Oddbins. But in the middle of the conversation, there’s a disconnect, like their mind’s somewhere else. Maybe they left the stove on, you think, or perhaps they’re staring at the bartender’s arse. You part ways, and you think about how you had a good time, even if it wasn’t the perfect date.
Palatino is an Italian restaurant that’s good, even if it isn’t perfect.
The restaurant specialises in Roman cuisine, which is to say that tomatoes and basil are out, and cream and cheese are very much in. The food’s mostly very enjoyable and occasionally superb - you’ll want to order another plate of the pasta cacio e pepe after inhaling the first one, and you’ll also bicker with your dining companion over who gets the last deep-fried sage leaf. The waiters are super-friendly and make you feel like you could be at the trattoria down the road from you, but without the week-old lasagna and tardy service.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Like an imperfect date though, the experience doesn’t come without a significant flaw. The realisation will slowly come over you that it isn’t anything to do with the food or the kitchen, but rather that sitting in that expensively designed dining room feels like you’re having dinner in the annex of one of the nondescript offices strewn around the neighbourhood. Because that’s literally what you’re doing. There’s a stage by the bar where presumably the previous occupants gave team talks, and a trip to the loos will highlight that they’re shared with the office next door. As you start to recognise these details, you’ll feel less at ease with the vibe here. On each of our trips here, that’s been our experience - we’ve been excited to be here at first, and slightly less so by the time we leave.
It isn’t to say that a restaurant like Palatino isn’t great for certain occasions. The pastas and those cracking little starters are excellent and worth a short trip for. And as far as functional neighbourhood restaurants go, it’s hard to think of anything more suited to an area as trendy as Clerkenwell. If this were an actual date, perhaps you wouldn’t necessarily picture a wedding a few years down the line. But you definitely would keep in touch for the occasional hang, because who says no to pasta?
Food Rundown
Fried Sage Leaves
Anchovy, Stracciatella, Toast
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Fried Courgette Flowers & Honey Vinegar
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Mozzarella, Peas and Shoots
Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe
Nettle Agnolotti, Ricotta
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch