Nestled just behind Liverpool Street station and slightly away from the throngs of after work drinkers, Mrs TLE and I found the La Tagliata, an Italian brassiere on Sandy’s Row.
We opted for the set menu, three courses (£29 a head) and just the one bottle of house white. Easier on the pocket…and on the head. Ok, we had a couple before we arrived, but don’t judge us! The A la carte menu looked interesting as well, with a wide range of dishes.
We were given bread to start with, as ever the no carb plan is ignored, not sure why we bother. It was worth it for the fresh bread and lashings of olive oil &balsamic vinegar.
On this balmy evening on the edge of London’s financial centre, the starter options were Tagliatelle with a choice of three separate sauces; Pomodoro, Lemon or Pesto and on this occasion they were also offering a lovely Ragu sauce. Both arrived promptly and were enjoyed immensely.
The main course was British beef sirloin cooked and sliced the Italian way on a bed of rocket, parmesan, cherry tomatoes and balsamic reduction cooked medium rare with a side of roasts for me. Mrs TLE opted for the Oven baked Scamorza (Italian cow’s milk cheese if you were wondering) stuffed with porcini mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and truffle pate, opting for shepherd’s potatoes on the side. Both dished were presented well and devoured accordingly.
We were quite surprised to discover that dessert menu congratulated us for eating a healthy meal. It turns out the starter and main course came in at under 650 calories (they didn’t mention if the potatoes counted in that, but we didn’t care. If they say it’s healthy I am not one to argue with it!)
So of course we found room for a desert (we would of anyway, but would maybe feel a bit more guilty about it). We ordered a panna cotta and Tiramisu and shared it, roughly half. Nobody really wants to give away an exact half of their dessert, do they?
The last drops of wine were sunk, and as we left the restaurant had started to pick up with a mixture of city workers and East London dwellers.
If you want a bit of calm in Central London instead of sinking five pints with your office manager outside of the Dirty Dicks pub on Bishopsgate then this is the place for you, all served in just over an hour.
La Tagliata can be found at 11 Sandy’s Row, London E1 7HW