Tavolino, London Bridge

London Bridge is certainly a bold choice of location to open up a pasta restaurant, what with Padella as your neighbour. But Louis Korovilas, former head chef of Bancone, is up for the challenge. His new venture, Tavolino, is not just a pasta restaurant, either (though his signature silk handkerchief pasta with walnut butter and Burford Brown yolk features on the menu). It’s a traditional Italian restaurant serving simple dishes cooked with produce from all over the country.

Perched on South Bank close to HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge, Tavolino (meaning ‘small table’), is split across two floors with floor-to-ceiling windows providing river views and plenty of natural light. The interiors, meanwhile, take inspiration from classic Milanese coffee bars and the traditional trattorias of Florence.



So, what’s on the menu? Starters include fried mussels with bagna cauda, and burrata fresh from Puglia. Primi plates are largely dough based, with fresh pasta made daily by Korovilas and his team, plus a selection of breads baked in-house by pastry chef Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare, who met Korovilas while the pair were working at Pied à Terre.

As is tradition, secondi plates are meat and fish led, with sea bream and beef short rib among the offerings. And you won’t want to leave without dessert – not when Sessegnon-Shakespeare’s balsamic vinegar chocolate mousse and polenta cake with caramelised white chocolate ice cream are a mere order away.

With a hearty Italian menu featuring Bancone-style pasta dishes and sumptuous puds, plus mind-uncluttering views of the River Thames, Tavolino might just have what it takes to give Padella a run for its macaroni.

Tavolino is opening in April