Located in the subtropical oasis of Bonnington Square with a looming backdrop of Vauxhall skyscrapers, we recently paid a visit to Italo Vauxhall. We were joined by Karen from Finance, who helpfully informed us that we hadn’t been in five years. We suspect that she was actually fishing for a free meal, but voicing this would just make us look, well, cynical.
From the outset, Italo feels quirky and homespun, and has been going strong since 2008. The menu changes daily but to give you an essence, your scribe had a sandwich served on Focaccia and stuffed with roast chicken, lemon and dill yoghurt, spiced harissa cucumber, sumac and plenty of lettuce. The offering was so stuffed that pieces of it were falling on the table. The bread gave it a salty kick with the chicken (it appeared to be thigh), roasted to perfection. Stuffed and gorgeous.
Karen chose the plate of the day: braised haricots blancs with honey roasted shallots, parmesan, chives and sourdough toast. She must have missed the memo directing guests to not spend more than the host, and in a moment of frenzy she added chorizo, putting £1.50 on the bill. What arrived was a generous portion of butter beans in a creamy sauce that leaned heavily on the parmesan and chives (no bad thing). Nestling in amongst were some banana shallots made sweeter with honey, alongside a few slices of that pricey chorizo. With two pieces of sourdough atop, it felt quite decadent. It’s a rich dish and Karen felt happily full after picking up her plate and drinking every last drop.
Inside the shop there’s a small range of high quality dried pastas, sauces, bottles and jars, olive oil, spirits, beans and suchlike. They also make some excellent Italian coffee. And it certainly speaks to quality ingredients being used in what they serve up and, on our lunchtime visit, this proved popular with locals. At this point you’re probably thinking ‘whats not to love’? Well dear reader, there is always something to not love and in this case it’s the price. The sandwich was £11 and the beans with aforementioned chorizo being £12. So not an every day lunch destination.
To slightly justify the price, the owners of Italo are part of a small gastronomic dynasty. Parent to one owner is the legendary food writer Arabella Boxer. The son of both is the brains behind our top ten© winning restaurant at Brunswick House in Vauxhall Cross, Henri in Covent Garden, and some ‘caff at Selfridges. And in the hours when he’s not scrubbing plates he manages to be a part time model, as you do. Here’s a story about him growing up in a foodie family. And no, Jackson, we do not want your life as we are content sitting in a cubicle digging food particles out of our keyboard with a paperclip.
If you’re new to the area or just don’t get out of the house much, Bonnington Square has a fascinating history that we wrote about a few years ago, and a fine place to stroll.
