There are some restaurants that after you've tried them it's actually criminal not to return: the food is so good, the service is top notch and it's a fabulous setting for day or night. Pulia, an unassuming restaurant and deli just next to Borough Market, is one of these gems. I promise you, once you've been once you're going to go again and again.
For starters we had a range of heavenly dishes, including the best burrata I've ever had.
Crunchy fresh bread...
Smothered in burrata, topped with heavenly light parma ham and served with a side salad. This burrata really is something else: it's creamy, light and utterly perfect.
The restaurant, which also has a spectacular deli as well as other locations around the world, has the perfect motto: quality and simplicity. It's a real truth that the best food doesn't have to be fancy, but that it just has to be simple yet amazing.
Carrying on in this way, Pulia is also famous for its olive oil. Made only from one kind of olive it's one of the purest olive oils you'll ever taste - and you want to taste this. I've never had such a delicious, fruity olive oil: you really can taste just how special this award winning delight is.
Frankly, there was no picking favourites here as we loved them all - and so polished them all off!
It was all so light and fresh that we felt that delightful full and satisfied feeling, without feeling as though we were going to have to roll home.
Mhairi and I both loved Sri Lanka and spent most of our evening talking about our time traveling such an amazing country - and somehow stopping ourselves from booking flights back!
The platter of assorted meats was also delicious; thin, salted and flavoursome slices of high-quality Italian meats that paired perfectly with both the olive oil and the crusty bread.
Simple food at it's best: we couldn't have been happier.
Now, these little delights were mind blowing. I'm really not a tuna fan, ask anyone who knows me, but these calzone-esque deep-fried tuna and mozzarella parcels were heavenly. The crisp deep-fried crust and the contrast with the salty, soft inner was perfect.
After a suitable break, our lovely waiter brought us a selection of pastas. Think proper Italian pasta with simple but perfectly executed sauces including...
Orecchiette with cime di rapa pesto, with breadcrumb and burrata heart, which I found a little strong in taste.
The pasta of the day, pasta with meatballs and a light tomato sauce - a perfect Italian comfort food.
And, well, sorry mum, but one of the best pasta and cherry tomato sauces I've ever had. As our waiter explained to us, it's a very simple dish with only a handful of ingredients, but it was spectacular.
Somehow we let our waiter convince us that dessert was a good idea, but I'm so glad we listened because dessert was a real triumph.
Since we'd been sharing dishes the whole evening we decided that dessert would be no different. We split two pasticciotto, Italian shortbread cakes. I know it sounds dense, but these were gorgeous.
We both loved the custard version, served with a lemon olive oil that I couldn't get enough of. A delicious, tart pudding that used some of that gorgeous olive oil that I had fallen in love with.
You'll never hear me say no to chocolate, ever, and it seems that Mhairi is my gal on this one too.
Just as marvelous as its citrus cousin, this chocolate creation was divine.
Simple food executed perfectly: Pulia is a real gem and one restaurant that I'll be going back to time and time again. So whether you work in the area or need to travel to get here, I promise you, this is one restaurant you don't want to miss.
I'll race you for a table..!
Pulia
31a & b
Stoney Street
London
SE1 9LB
We dined as guests of Pulia.
The other thing I learnt that night: never trust Mhairi with a map. Ever. It led us to require a little (read large) glass of wine pre-dinner! Anyway, after our little hiccup, we stumbled into Pulia on a side street next to gorgeous Borough Market very excited for our Italian feast.
When trying to decide what to order our waiter asked if we would mind leaving all the choices in his hands and since we couldn't decide what we wanted as, frankly, we wanted everything on the menu, we were more than happy to leave that choice to an expert.
For starters we had a range of heavenly dishes, including the best burrata I've ever had.
Crunchy fresh bread...
Smothered in burrata, topped with heavenly light parma ham and served with a side salad. This burrata really is something else: it's creamy, light and utterly perfect.
I don't think it's an understatement to say that I could happily eat a whole one of these to myself. Maybe two...
The restaurant, which also has a spectacular deli as well as other locations around the world, has the perfect motto: quality and simplicity. It's a real truth that the best food doesn't have to be fancy, but that it just has to be simple yet amazing.
Carrying on in this way, Pulia is also famous for its olive oil. Made only from one kind of olive it's one of the purest olive oils you'll ever taste - and you want to taste this. I've never had such a delicious, fruity olive oil: you really can taste just how special this award winning delight is.
Next to arrive was the bread selection, which included tomato and black olive focaccia, ham and mozzarella and scamorza croquettes, pizza rustici (heavenly bites full of onion, tomato and mozzarella) and sausage panzerotti.
Frankly, there was no picking favourites here as we loved them all - and so polished them all off!
It was all so light and fresh that we felt that delightful full and satisfied feeling, without feeling as though we were going to have to roll home.
Mhairi and I both loved Sri Lanka and spent most of our evening talking about our time traveling such an amazing country - and somehow stopping ourselves from booking flights back!
The platter of assorted meats was also delicious; thin, salted and flavoursome slices of high-quality Italian meats that paired perfectly with both the olive oil and the crusty bread.
Simple food at it's best: we couldn't have been happier.
Now, these little delights were mind blowing. I'm really not a tuna fan, ask anyone who knows me, but these calzone-esque deep-fried tuna and mozzarella parcels were heavenly. The crisp deep-fried crust and the contrast with the salty, soft inner was perfect.
After a suitable break, our lovely waiter brought us a selection of pastas. Think proper Italian pasta with simple but perfectly executed sauces including...
Orecchiette with cime di rapa pesto, with breadcrumb and burrata heart, which I found a little strong in taste.
The pasta of the day, pasta with meatballs and a light tomato sauce - a perfect Italian comfort food.
And, well, sorry mum, but one of the best pasta and cherry tomato sauces I've ever had. As our waiter explained to us, it's a very simple dish with only a handful of ingredients, but it was spectacular.
Somehow we let our waiter convince us that dessert was a good idea, but I'm so glad we listened because dessert was a real triumph.
Since we'd been sharing dishes the whole evening we decided that dessert would be no different. We split two pasticciotto, Italian shortbread cakes. I know it sounds dense, but these were gorgeous.
We both loved the custard version, served with a lemon olive oil that I couldn't get enough of. A delicious, tart pudding that used some of that gorgeous olive oil that I had fallen in love with.
You'll never hear me say no to chocolate, ever, and it seems that Mhairi is my gal on this one too.
Just as marvelous as its citrus cousin, this chocolate creation was divine.
Simple food executed perfectly: Pulia is a real gem and one restaurant that I'll be going back to time and time again. So whether you work in the area or need to travel to get here, I promise you, this is one restaurant you don't want to miss.
I'll race you for a table..!
Pulia
31a & b
Stoney Street
London
SE1 9LB
We dined as guests of Pulia.
