Despite being a celiac I love Italian food! Pasta smothered with rich ragu, platters of
charcuterie and thin crispy pizzas fresh from the oven with stringy
mozzarella. Hell, I worked in an Italian
restaurant for a Sicilian for 4 years so I do know just a little about the
cuisine.
And while modern Italian is lovely, sometimes I just hunger for ‘dirty
traditional mom and pop’ style food – nothing fancy but plenty of it. So following a heavy-ish day of drinking in
the sun, visiting La Divina in Islington was on the cards.
This restaurant is an institution – with tables packed together
and the walls covered with signs from excellent old Italian brands and film
posters. Even the toilets pay homage to their Italian heritage and it is Sophia
Loren who guards the gate way to the ladies.
 |
| With kind thanks to La Divina |
My friend and I were accommodated on a busy Saturday night with
easy and as we slumped gratefully into the soft comfy chairs (look out for the
tables with the armchairs), we grasped the menu and dived in.
If you are looking for anything drizzled with foam and picked by Andalucía
Italian immigrants who have dedicated their lives to finding the perfect
mushroom, you will be very disappointed.
I - on the other hand - was entranced, excited and ordering.
We started with La Divina Bread Board which sees various types of
bread topped with cheese and other pizza toppings. This was just what we needed to soak up the
pinot grigio which we orders to aid our contemplation.
 |
| With kind thanks to La Divina |
I finally settled on the Linguine with Clams in a white wine sauce
with just a hint of garlic – admittedly I asked for a little chilli which I am
sure would have gotten me shot in Liguria but I like to live dangerously. My friend chose the Linguine with a cream
sauce and spinach.
Both dishes
were tasty, traditional and to be thoroughly recommended. After these large helpings of pasta, we both realized
that time had come for bed and as we wobbled off towards the tube, we both
congratulated ourselves on being able to find one of the great family Italian
restaurants in London.
L xx
Don’t forget
to follow me on twitter @alittlefowhatyou
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