IDA // LONDON
Restaurant // IDA
Location // QUEEN’S PARK, LONDON
Meal // Dinner, 8.45pm
the low-down
At a corner surrounded by quiet homes, you’ll find the unassuming Ida.
‘Ida’ is embroidered on hanging linen across each window, keeping the space private amongst the residences. Initially worried we had booked on a closed night, we turn the corner to the entrance to find the neighborhood spot dimly-lit and filled with enjoyable volumes of chatter.
It takes a moment to be seated, but only because the hostess has connected with a customer, chatting about life, goals, and dreams. We’re led to our table in the rather small space and met with a friendly smile by our waitress. Later she would hand out small pieces of paper with the name ‘Rochelle’ scribbled, asking that we all say this name when the birthday cake comes out. It felt like we were all friends in Ida at this point in the night. But before then, one Chianti order later, we rattled off our food order and looked forward to the parade of plates soon coming our way.
The bruschetta
Bruschetta al pomodoro con sale pepe e origano // Toasted buckwheat starter sourdough bread Bruschetta with tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil and oregano
It comes out on warm bread that is thin enough to bite into easily, which is often the challenge with bruschetta. Easy enough to pick up, and believe it or not, the tomatoes didn’t fall off with each bite, another bruschetta rarity - this may have been due to the rightly-sized tomato chunks or maybe there wasn’t enough tomato stacked on. The tomatoes taste like tomatoes. If you’ve read ‘A Waiter in Paris’ by Edward Chisholm (and if you haven’t, buy it now), there’s a line by an Italian character, “Vivi dove i pomodori sono buoni”, or live where the tomatoes are good. The tomatoes are not good in London. They were good here. I was looking for a stronger olive oil taste and some salt here.
The pea pasta
Tagliatella con crema di piselli, taleggio e pancetta croccante // Hand-cut tagliatelle made with Burford Brown free range eggs with a velouté of peas, Taleggio cheese and crispy Pancetta
The star of the show at Ida this night. The velouté of peas meant that the entire sauce had peas integrated, a refreshing alternative to the usual pea pastas that only have them whole. The whole peas present were slightly overcooked, a slight crunch is best in my personal opinion. That didn’t matter so much because the fresh pasta was perfectly al dente and the Taleggio made for a sharp cheesy flavor in the smooth sauce, making this one easy to come back to for more.
The duck pasta
Pappardelle al ragù di anatra e scorza di arancia // Hand-cut pappardelle made with Burford Brown free range eggs, accompanied by a slow-cooked duck and orange zest ragù
Runner-up in the pasta department. The hand-cut pasta again perfectly al dente, with the duck ragu clinging perfectly onto it. Sauce-cling is an underrated element to pasta, but you can taste the difference when done right. I didn’t catch the notes of orange zest but wanted to, as this is what initially sparked my curiosity when ordering. The duck was perfectly cooked, albeit missing some salt. The later addition of parmesan made up for this.
The ragù pasta
Pappardelle al ragù marchigiano // Hand-cut pappardelle made with Burford Brown free range eggs, accompanied by a slow-cooked beef, pork and chicken ragù (tradition of the Marche region)
What was nice here was the strong tomato flavor in the red sauce, though the black pepper was a bit strong and took away from other flavors in the dish. The meat wasn’t as flavorful as anticipated, especially given the combination of beef, pork, and chicken. Good pasta but not impressive. The parmesan later helped here, too.
The parmesan
Yes, I tasted it on its own. Delicious.
The steak
Bistecca di entrecote ai ferri con patate al forno, rosmarino e sale Maldon // Premium grass-fed rib-eye steak with rosemary and Maldon salt, accompanied by a roast potatoes
I’m of the opinion that it’s harder to come by a good steak in London, at least compared to in the U.S. That said, this one filled the steak craving department. We ordered it medium-rare, but it came medium. The salt flakes were pleasant every time I came across one, a delicate crunch in the mouth followed by the salt making the mouth water. The charred grill on the meat was just right, without a ‘burnt’ taste. It was soft without being chewy and the fat was mostly trimmed, making it easy to eat. The dish was accompanied by scattered potato chunks, which were a bit dull but swirled around in the steak juices revived them. In this dish, I noticed the taste of olive oil, which I love to get a catch of (it was on the potatoes). The plate felt like it was missing something to tie it all together - perhaps something green?
The tiramisu
This is how I judge a place, which is usually unlucky for most. Tiramisu is simple yet infrequently done right, and I’m a snob for the sliced kind over one that comes in a cup. This one came in a (small) cup, with big cookies on the bottom, cream, then the cacao powder. The cream needed to be fluffier, and the espresso the cookies were dunked in tasted like it had been sweetened (not needed with the usual tiramisu lady finger cookies - or maybe the cookies were too sweet?).
The wine
I won’t claim to be a wine expert, so I’ll just leave the name here - Pèppolo, Chianti Classico, Marchesi Antinori.
What I wore
Dark-wash flare denim, kitten-heeled sandals, and a strapless knit top. Appropriate for the ambience here, as anything more would be, well, too much.
WOULD I GO BACK
Sure, though mostly for the neighborhood feel and intimate environment that strips London of any trendy façades you’d find if Ida was situated elsewhere. I love spending all night at a restaurant, but in a neighborhood location like this one, be prepared to pay the bill and be out by exactly 11pm - it was a friendly escort, but a prompt one. The portion-to-price ratio was impressive for London standards.
