On a brisk early spring evening, Wordrobe writer Sanjuna Budhani steps into a pocket of the Italian Amalfi coast, a mere stone’s throw from South Kensington Station
The younger sibling to the Latin American Zuaya and Spanish El Norte restaurants, Como Garden is the latest offering from Spanish restaurateurs the Zandi twins and is designed to deliver an experience reminiscent of the romantic Lake Como in northern Italy.
A world of olive trees in west London
The interiors at Como Garden wouldn’t go amiss on a well curated Instagram grid. Centred around an olive tree – which creates wonderfully shaded nooks for the tables seated underneath – the restaurant is illuminated softly by fairy lights and muted light shades, with leaves climbing up and down the walls, it’s atmospheric but intimate.
Although the decor created the cosiness you’d hope for when you fortuitously stumble upon an hidden Italian bistro, the background music did feel more like beachside bar getting ready for the evening crowd. It did make it slightly harder to imagine we were in a low-key but stylish trattoria.
A new approach to tradition
A good glass of Prosecco before a meal always makes for such a merry mood, and the subtly sweet glass of Frizzante – meaning gently sparkling to us laypeople – Prosecco made us very excited for what was to come. The Amaranto signature cocktail was also a winner, deeply refreshing and a welcome break that cut through some of the richer dishes.
We chose one of their most popular dishes to kick off our culinary foray, arancini, which is a creation of Sicilian origin, dating back to the 10th century. Creamy rice is mixed with nutty parmesan and sweet-sharp fontina cheese, smothered in bread crumbs, deep fried and then drizzled with…syrup?
Syrup? I had to do the obligatory lip-smacking to make sure. I confess I’ve never had syrup with my arancini before, and a quick Google search on the flavour pairing yielded no results. As I looked towards my dining companion incredulously, we were wowed by the flavour combination. Savoury, creamy, sharp and delicately sweet all rolled into one. It quickly disappeared and I was left longing.
Caponata – another dish we can thank the Sicilians for – is a dish very similar to other popular Italian dishes in that it was initially a peasant dish. Despite being composed of just fried aubergine, tomato and pine nuts, the caponata was sweet and jammy, with a satisfying density that could stay perched on top of a fork or spread across the accompanied roasted potatoes or home-made focaccia.
Some of the larger plates included the obligatory bowl of fresh pasta, the tagliolini ribbons coated in a decadent 24 month aged parmesan and truffle sauce – definitely one to share, as the sauce is quite intense – and tender marinated chicken with the mother of all comfort foods, silky mashed potato and umami-rich gravy.
The Wordrobe Verdict
The waiting staff were all accommodating and helpful despite service being a tad slow at times. All in all, Como Garden offers delicious fare you would expect from an Italian restaurant, simple recipes executed well, all tucked under a beautiful olive tree.
Make it happen
Where: 37-45 Kensington High St, London W8 5ED
How: Find out more and make a booking via comogarden.co.uk
Words by Sanjuna Budhani, freelance writer
