Emilia's, Aldgate: Simple, Fresh Pasta, But Inconsistent Quality
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Last Updated 29 March 2019
Emilia's mission is simple. To create simple, fresh, well-made pasta dishes that are affordable. It started in St. Katharine Dock and has just opened this new branch in Aldgate.
It really sticks with the idea of keeping things basic. Our burrata is served with bread that's simply been drizzled with olive oil and lightly garnished. It's somewhat spartan in appearance, but delivers in the only department that matters — taste.
Pasta is what this place is known for, but the yellowfin tuna rigatoni turns out to be something of a disappointment. The peporoncino provides plenty of spice, but the tuna is somewhat lacking — it's far too bland and dry, sucking all the moisture from our mouths. Superior to the tuna though, is the slow cooked bechamel bolognese, which is far more flavoursome.
Italian cuisine usually offers top-notch desserts, and this menu has plenty of saliva-inducing options. The salted caramel chocolate brownie more than delivers — we're self-professed brownie connoisseurs, and while this isn't the best we've had, it's still impressive.
However, Emilia's house special lets the dessert menu down. Topping ice cream with honey and two types of crushed biscuits sounds divine, but the individual ingredients don't quite come together into the perfect blend we were hoping for.
The idea behind Emilia's simple approach to a pasta restaurant is admirable, and while it's got some great choices, the menu is too inconsistent to win us over.
Emilia's Pasta, Aldgate is at 77 Alie Street. The meal in this review was circa £45 for two, excluding drinks.
