With this place the clue is in the name. Specialising in tagliata – a traditional Italian dish of sliced beef on a bed of rocket and parmesan – this restaurant, between Liverpool Street and Spitalfields, aims to do ‘simple food and wine at its best’.
The place is quaint, with several little rooms all jumbled together. The menu is brief – tagliatelle with one of three sauces to start, followed by tagliata or baked scamorza if you’re a vegetarian, and then tiramisu or panna cotta. One course is £19, two £24 and three for £29. Easy.
The owners, staff and chefs were charming, indeed incredibly friendly and not fazed in the slightest by my accosting of one of them to check whether he was related to a friend of mine. To really enjoy a restaurant, you need good company not just at the table but waiting on it too, and you couldn’t fault La Tagliata for their tableside manner.
The food here well cooked and enjoyable. I’m not sure it is simple food at its very best but that’s probably not what you look for when you come here. It was more like going to a friend’s for dinner – tasty, comforting and without any challenging flavour combinations (not to say those don’t sometimes happen at dinner parties, intentional or otherwise). Pasta starters are generous in size, tasty and warming. The homely, rich ragu was particularly good.
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The beef main has a retro balsamic squiggle which raised a smile and comes with a side of potatoes – go for those cooked in a little stock and garlic as it is a family recipe and it is lovely comfort food. The beef had a good flavour and while it isn’t a Hawksmoor steak, it was enjoyable nonetheless.
The tiramisu, however, is great. Light, not sickly and easy to eat even if you are – as my sister claimed before its arrival – really too full for pudding. She managed the whole thing. What a trooper.
La Tagliata is sweet, cosy, friendly and the sort of place you’d like to go and hide with a friend when you want to be anonymous for a few hours.
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