A decade after opening in Borough Market, Padella has arrived in Soho. “Considering where our other locations are, this felt like the obvious next step,” co-founder Tim Siadatan tells Broadsheet. “I love Soho. It’s fun. It’s like a fairground.”
Siadatan and co-founder Jordan Frieda – who both also co-founded Trullo – have transported the same short, snappy menu of hand-made pasta, Mr Lyan Studio cocktails and wine on tap that’s made it a hit in Shoreditch and Borough to Kingly Street – and all at prices that still somehow sit below the ever-rising curve.
Signatures like pici cacio e pepe and pappardelle with beef shin ragù remain stars, and sit alongside seasonal plates such as crab tagliarini and ricotta-filled ravioli. All are built on the long-standing supplier relationships Siadatan has been building since he worked at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen at 18.
Soho introduces a couple of new drinks conjured by Ryan Chetiyawardana and his team at Mr Lyan Studio, including an affogato Martini – “basically a dessert,” says Siadatan – and a “really fun, sexy, cherry cosmopolitan … dangerous”.
The 80-seater has a different personality from the London Bridge and Shoreditch spaces. Upstairs, soft natural light floods the long space, which is clad with tactile wood panelling and mustachioed vintage ad campaigns hung above leather-lined booths and marble table-tops. “They’re a nod to ’70s Soho, connecting a little bit back into the naughtiness of it,” says Siadatan.
The downstairs space, which is set to open in a few weeks, will house some of the most desirable eats in the house. “Often customers don’t want to go into a basement because the ground floor’s better,” Siadatan says. “We want to give the feeling that you’re going downstairs into the fun pit.” The lower level, he hopes, will have “a bit of glamour” and feel “a bit more fun, cool”.
That includes what Siadatan and long-time collaborator, designer Lisa Helmanis, describe as “Satan’s pocket” – a curtained alcove with a long table, bookable for private dinners. “It’s a little alcove that’s going to be a bit … naughty vibes – a slightly different feel.” Seating up to 12 people, diners will be able to tuck into a £30 per person sharing menu that was a big success at the Shoreditch branch. “You get a load of antipasti followed by rounds of pasta and a big tiramisu for the table,” says Siadatan.
For now, like Borough Market, the Soho site will initially operate as a walk-in only with a digital queue system designed to avoid physical lines. “They can go and sit in the pub or go shopping … Jordan and I spend quite a bit of time at The Devonshire and The Shaston Arms.”
A decade on, the duo’s mission – like the Padella experience – hasn’t changed much. “We wanted to create a restaurant that was focused on super high-quality pasta at an affordable price, and you can have it quickly,” says Siadatan. “That is still absolutely true to its core.”
At £9.50 for the entry level tagliarini tossed with chilli, garlic and pangrattato, and wine maxing out at £8.50 per glass, it’s difficult to argue with that.
Padella Soho
2 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PB
Hours:
Mon to Sat midday–3.45pm
Sun 11.30am–8.45pm
