Since we moved to East London a couple of years ago, maman and papa have made a habit of staying in our neck of the woods when they're here for work. This means we get to spend more time with them, and we get to try out all the restaurants, cafés and bars that are dotted around our favourite part of London.
During their last visit, I strolled through London Fields while the sun set, heading towards Lardo and their famous disco pizza oven.
Service was super slow, and some of the dishes weren't worth talking about, so I'm going to gloss over those flaws and talk about the burrata and the pizzas. Because those were worth talking about.
The burrata came in a perfectly sized saucer, with a drizzle of oil on top. It needed a sharp knife to pierce the skin which held it together. When cut in to, the magical creaminess poured out, and was quickly lapped up by four hungry people.
Lardo's most famous feature is it's pizza oven which has been covered with reflective silver tiles. This searing hot disco ball serves up the crispiest pizzas, proving that all things sparkly are the best.
My pizza was covered in courgette flowers and ricotta (yes, I am that predictable). It was just as I had hoped, and I got a little upset every time someone stole another slice of it.
Papa's was far from the light, spring-like flavours of mine, as the mushrooms and taleggio melted into a comforting mess. The smell was like a warming hug, and the taste was even better.
B's pasta with ricotta and peas was lovely, but a little too simple and too easily recreated at home. And mama said of her pasta and prawns, that if she served it up for supper at home, she would have been rather embarrassed.
So papa and I left happy and full, and maman and B left underwhelmed and with food envy. So if you go (and I do recommend that you do), stay safe, and have pizza and burrata. You'll be a very happy bunny if you do, and a rather sad one if you don't.
Highlight: the creamiest burrata
Lowlight: the slowest service
Lardo, 197-201 Richmond Road, London, E8 3NJ
