Perfect Pasta in Ealing – Pasta Remoli:
On a cold winter’s evening, there is nothing to make the heart beat faster than the prospect of a comforting plate of pasta…
Over the last couple of years, a major London food trend has been the rise of the ’boutique pasta’ restaurant. Pasta Remoli started along those lines eight years ago in 2011. I’ve been invited to review their new Ealing opening and to learn more about the current concept. They now have three locations with Finsbury Park in North London, and Westfield, Stratford, in East London making up the trio. 
Pasta Remoli Ealing is located in the rather swanky new Dicken’s Yard development. Ealing isn’t short of places to eat but this new area is refreshing the local food ecosystem for a new generation of customers. The interior is modern European with cheerful posters adorning the wall. For summer months there’s also an outdoor dining space. But what about the food? Simone Remoli, Chef and Founder of Pasta Remoli promises‘ the best fresh homemade pasta in the area!’ – I can’t pretend to be an expert on the Ealing pasta scene but it will be interesting to see how it rates compared to the more boutique pasta places.
The Pasta Remoli offer is based around a straightforward ‘concept’. ‘Choose your pasta, choose a sauce, add cheese.’ So whilst we checked out Simone Remoli’s menu of Roman pasta classics I tried an excellent Negroni and my daughter a refreshing Campari Spritz. Maybe I’m getting old but I don’t like classic cocktails being messed around with too much and these were perfect; with some olives and focaccia to soak up the alcohol it was an excellent start to the evening. As well as pasta dishes there is an Antipasti and a Traditional Dishes menu. The latter includes favourites such as Melanzane Alla Parmigiana, Beef Lasagna, an enticing-sounding fish soup and a T-bone steak. But we’re here for the pasta so we passed on these. We couldn’t resist a couple of starters though!
I loved my dish of tender nuggets of pan-fried octopus, served with potatoes, cherry tomatoes and salted ricotta – really satisfying on a winter’s night! But it is the quality of a Fritto Misto that is my benchmark for an Italian restaurant. This was simple but well delivered with squid, whitebait and prawns coming hot and dry from the fryer with a well-seasoned batter enhancing the fishy flavours.
We moved on to drinking a robust red Primitivo del Salento from Puglia. Its blackcurrant notes worked well with our mains taken from chef Simone Remoli’s list of his ‘signature dishes’. Nicely al dente tagliatelle was slathered with tomato sauce and topped with deliciously sweet red prawns. But the highlight was a spicy fresh lobster linguine. The crustacean was tender and tasted really fresh with the spice enhancing not overwhelming its delicate flavour.
There’s always room for an Italian dessert (or two!). Our Sicilian Cannolo, the sweet pastry tube filled with fresh ricotta and studded with chocolate chips and candied fruit, was a perfect rendition of the classic. But the Tiramisu Remoli was something special. Coffee, mascarpone, cream and savoiardi biscuits brought together with a properly ‘yellow’ egg custard gave the dish an unexpected richness. 
With a glass of limoncello to finish our meal at Pasta Remoli was a real taste of Italy. It should carve a real niche for itself in the high street offering accessible and straightforward Italian food at a very reasonable price point and is perfect for an outing with family, friends or work colleagues.
Pasta Remoli Ealing,
Unit 6, Dickens Yard,
Longfield Avenue,
London, W5 2TD
For fine Italian dining in West London, we recommend Villa di Geggiano in Chiswick or for something a little more central try Stecca Italian Restaurant in Chelsea
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