The first solo venture from Antony Brown (formerly Pasta Brown, Covent Garden), Paesan embraces cucina povera, the tradition of using simple ingredients to prepare honest and flavoursome food. Dishes will include pappardelle with wild rabbit ragu and mussels impepata with rosemary crostini. The menu has been created by head chef Mattia Antonioni (previously at Polpo, The Ivy Club and Assaggi) and will be filled with hot and cold dishes channelling the cucina povera theme.
Paesan
Italian Restaurant in Clerkenwell
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Restaurant Facilities
Outdoor Area
Booking Advisable
Paesan Picture Gallery
All In London Review
Paesan’s ‘poor man’s kitchen’ is anything but
I would imagine preparing coppa di testa, a cured meat made from the head of the pig, takes a hell of a lot of preparation, time and love. You are after all going to have to shave it, then deal with its eyes, brain, teeth and all the rest, before cooking and seasoning.
Nonetheless, Paesan’s food is hearty and filling; fennel sausage (£9) has strong bursts of the aniseedy herb, served with lentils in a soffritto; Calabrian tripe and steak ragù (£8) is the perfect dish to come home to when it’s cold outside, with strips of beef and tripe mixed into a mildly spiced ragù and thin slices of just-melted pecorino cheese over the top. Crocchette schiacciatina (£4) are moreish little breaded fish cakes made with anchovy and parmesan, and the aforementioned coppa di testa (£4) is delicious and just melts in the mouth. But none of it says ‘poor’, even if pecorino is cheaper in Sardinia than it is in Blighty.
They also do pizza fritta here, the Neapolitan street food that should probably come with a health warning, in other words it’s perfect for the gourmet fast food trend. Taleggio and mushroom (£9), has fresh thyme and fragrant truffle sprinkled over the crunchy, deep fried base.
Downstairs there’s a bar serving vintage cocktails (naturally) and the restaurant is almost at full capacity. Perhaps it’s not simple or rustic for that matter, but Paesan will do very well indeed.
Reviewed by Leila
Published on Oct 9, 2013
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