I worked in Leonard Street, Shoreditch, in the early ‘90s and outside the working week it was tumbleweeds. You could park your car outside your favourite Indian Restaurant on Brick Lane for free, and the Bricklayers Arms was still full of artists. A member of a public gym in Hoxton, I would run there and back to minimise the number of people that might mess with me. For the most part, the area was characterised by the crumbling walls of abandoned buildings from which self-sown buddleia plants sprouted.
Wind the clock forward and the grit has all but been sieved out, the name Hoxton now achingly stylish – they even have a hotel proudly named after it. And therewithin you will find Il Bambini club, one of the latest to crop up from this burgeoning global group. I was invited to join a press dinner to see what it is all about, so set off down memory lane (well, Great Eastern Street).
Bambini has taken over the ground floor such that you walk straight off the street into a party rather than a lobby. I have spoken before if my inherent prejudice against dining in hotels. It stems from the fact that the culture, the vibe of the place needs to evolve from a sufficient number of regulars who come to embody everything restaurant stands for. Very often the relentless slew of strangers just dampens the mood. But this is not the case at Il Bambini Club and you find yourself surrounded by animated conversation, by people just having a good time.
There’s a long open kitchen along the right-hand side and its seating has been grouped to make it ideal for the after-work crowd, grabbing a drink and quite likely dinner. The menu is very well thought through and curated from the staples you would anticipate in a good Trattoria. And that is exactly what it turns out to be. A seemingly endless train of plates pulled in at our long table, and to name a few it went like this:
Starters
- Bresaola, rocket, parmesan – simple and delicious
- Caesar salad – crisp and fresh
Mains
- Pizza diavola – tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, burrata
- Pizza mortadella – mozzarella, mortadella, rocket, parmesan
- The pizzas are Neapolitan in style and very well done – as good as many specialists.
- Scampi fritti, lemon mayonnaise –breaded lightly along with paprika, each comes with its own handle (tail)
- Sea bass fillet, escarole, capers, olives – Fried to afford a crisp to the skin.
- Gnocchi, mushroom, taleggio – exceptional. This vegetarian dish was sooo meaty, with dark umami notes, I could eat it all day.
- Lemon chicken – tender and fabulous.
Desserts
- Chocolate mousse – Topped with salted caramel and crushed nuts, not too rich, easy to scoff.
- Lemon meringue tart – light, crunchy base
- Tiramisu – it has been a long time since I had one as good as this. Not too sweet, full of booze. Absolutely top drawer
- Affogato – just sweet enough and exactly as you’d wish.
- Amaro Montenegro – you can keep your Limoncello, this is the ‘sticky’ of choice with an Italian meal.
In summary, it’s neither especially elegant nor ugly, just great food presented honestly with consistency. And I’m faced with the realisation that that’s just how I like it. Not a single dish failed to deliver and who would expect me to herald the gnocchi as the top dish?! The front of house team is charming, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and above all fun. What a great night out! I will certainly return before the year is out.
Il Bambini Club is at 81 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HU
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 7am- midnight