Bancone Borough Yards | A Fresh Pasta Hat Trick
Taking on the grand-daddy of London’s fresh pasta renaissance on home turf is a bold move.
Any young pasta-making novice could end up with egg on their face.
So it’s a good thing that Bancone has cut its teeth with two restaurants before opening a third here in London Bridge, a stone’s throw from the original Padella. And when we say ‘cut its teeth’, we really mean ‘garnered shedloads of praise from professional critics and diners alike thanks to a winning combination of quality dishes and affordable cocktails in a casually gorgeous setting‘.
Grace Dent called the original Bancone Covent Garden ‘casually orgasmic’, while Bancone Soho doubled its capacity and still manages to pack out every night. So let’s just say it’s more than capable of standing up to its venerable neighbour – and, here’s hoping, will be able to coexist in peaceful harmony (threatened only by the fact that Bancone Borough Yards takes reservations).
You’ll find it in the new development that is Borough Yards – a scrubbed-up patch of land between railway tracks that’s slowly coming to life thanks to the likes of Barrafina, Parrillan, Brother Marcus and a characteristically plush Everyman cinema. Bancone’s set up shop in one of the most spacious plots: a cavernous, double-height railway arch whose industrial features they’ve rather beautifully highlighted with some dramatic uplighting and artfully rusted wall panels. But there’s luxe touches, too, from the lush foliage housed in rustic terracotta planters, to the sleek marble countertop that envelops the open kitchen.
Milly Kenny-Rider/Jade Nina Sarkhel
This is, of course, where the magic happens, and you’ll see the chefs busily putting together a roster of Bancone favourites alongside new dishes just for Borough Yards. The former includes their famously silky handkerchief pasta with walnut butter and confit egg yolk; the spicy pork & nduja ragù with mafalde; and the bucatini cacio e pepe (as before, all their pasta can be made gluten-free, too).
A lot of the newness, meanwhile, is heavily influenced by the restaurant’s neighbours – pork chops from The Ginger Pig make their way into a new main, chargrilled and bolstered by apple and radicchio, while oysters from the Wright Brothers are battered and served with tartare sauce for starters.
Lardo on toast with truffled honey – Milly Kenny-Rider/Jade Nina Sarkhel
On top of all that? Well, their trio of negronis certainly don’t require any meddling with, and you’ll find them here – the variations include a White Negroni made with Suze instead of Campari, and another infused with orange blossom – still available for a modest £7.
And at that price, there needn’t be any competition between the three…
NOTE: Bancone Borough Yards is open for lunch and dinner daily. You can find out more, and book, HERE.
Bancone Borough Yards | Arch 213, Stoney Street, London, SE1 9AD
Fancy a nightcap? Take a look at the best bars in London Bridge