Covent garden's new italian star: a return to grown-up dining?

Conor Gadd, the chef behind Islington's beloved Trullo, has quietly expanded his empire with Burro, a new Italian restaurant nestled in a hidden courtyard near Covent Garden. The question isn't whether London needs another Italian eatery – the city is practically overflowing with them – but whether Gadd can transplant Trullo's magic to a more tourist-heavy locale.

A sanctuary of beige and serenity

Stepping into Burro is like entering a hushed sanctuary. Forget the trendy, stripped-down aesthetic that has gripped the restaurant scene for years; here, real tablecloths grace the tables, and the color palette is a deliberate embrace of unobtrusive beige and taupe, punctuated by calming ombre accents. It's a visual exhale in a postcode notorious for its boisterous buskers and, lately, the baffling popularity of Guinness hats.

The menu, while echoing familiar Trullo notes, leans into a more hearty, elegant sensibility. The Venetian chicken liver pâté, served on a robust bruschetta, is a standout, easily justifying its status as a main course—particularly when paired with a crisp, dry white wine or a well-made Negroni. An antipasto of fried artichoke with bottarga offers another delightful surprise: chunky, lightly battered artichoke hearts that evoke the texture of calamari, infused with a subtle, salty fishiness.

Burro’s attention to detail extends to the simplest offerings. The focaccia alone – glossy, crisp, springy, and undeniably moist – is a testament to the kitchen's commitment to quality. From the tagliarini with clams to the strozzapreti with pork and chili, the primi courses showcase a confident hand. The secondi truly shine, with a whole lemon sole swimming in prosecco sauce and a rich, buttery vitello al burro demanding attention.

But it's the braised beef shin on polenta that truly encapsulates Burro's ethos: pure, unadulterated comfortFood. The polenta, almost completely submerged in melted butter, provides a luxurious base for beef so tender it melts in your mouth. The staff, many of whom hail from Trullo, navigate the menu with impressive knowledge, guiding diners through the complexities of each dish with genuine enthusiasm.

For pasta aficionados, the highlight is undoubtedly the fettuccine with duck and porcini ragu—a clever evolution of Trullo’s iconic beef shin ragu. It’s a dish so rich, silky, and decadent that it begs to be shared—or devoured entirely by a particularly ravenous diner.

The dessert, a reimagining of tiramisu as warm ricotta doughnuts, is a playful, if slightly unorthodox, finale. While purists might scoff, the combination of warm dough, sugared ladyfingers, and coffee cream laced with marsala is an unexpectedly delightful collision of Blackpool promenade indulgence and Bolognese charm.

Gadd's willingness to incorporate poitín, an Irish moonshine, into the “Donkey Kick” cocktail is a bold move, but it’s a testament to his confidence and a fitting flourish to an already compelling dining experience. He’s not merely serving Italian Food; he’s delivering an experience—a return to the grown-up elegance that has been sorely missing from the Covent Garden dining scene.

Burro isn't just another Italian restaurant; it’s a quiet reclamation of culinary standards. The final bill, hovering around £70 a head, is a reflection of that commitment to quality—and a price well worth paying for a taste of authentic Italian hospitality.