LONDON
Then came the showstoppers. The 10 Level Lasagne is exactly as advertised: ten layers of slow-cooked Bolognese, silky béchamel and fresh pasta sheets baked until the top shatters and the interiors remain gloriously molten. The cacio e pepe- ribbons of fresh pasta tossed in sauce and doused tableside with yet more freshly grated pecorino was creamy, peppery perfection, each strand coated in sauce that clung with admirable tenacity.
The 28-day aged ribeye was properly beefy- all that dry-aging concentrating the flavour into something profound and mineral. The chicken Caesar salad was a surprisingly elegant affair, while the crispy truffle potatoes disappeared with alarming speed, each one a study in textural perfection.
Dessert brought tiramisu spooned generously from enormous ceramic dishes in that wonderfully casual nonna-style, espresso-soaked, mascarpone-rich, topped with a snowdrift of cocoa glory. It’ s served family-style because, well, this is Big Mamma. But the real‘ wow’ moment is the lemon meringue pie- a towering, architectural thing of pud beauty- with a burnished Italian meringue that stands impossibly tall, revealing layers of sharp lemon curd that cuts through the sweetness with proper citrus punch.
© Joann Pai
The cocktail and wine list deserves its own mention. The Pistacchi-tini( vodka, pistachio, espresso) is their signature for good reason: nutty, caffeinated, dangerously drinkable. The Brooklyn Sour( Earl Greyinfused vodka, peach liqueur, raspberry) was sophisticated and surprising, while the Sicilian Margarita( Olmeca Blanco tequila, fresh cucumber, Nardini Acqua di Cedro liqueur, agave-infused green peppercorn, lime) brought a herbaceous complexity to the classic template.
The wine list is equally considered. Zesty Italian whites cut beautifully through the richness of pasta, while robust reds stand up to the aged beef and copious amounts of cheese. My pick- the Pinot Nero Oltrepò Pavese from Tenuta Mazzolino- was rich with bright red berries, blood orange and a hint of spice; exactly what you want alongside Italian food done this well.
And those toilets? Two-way mirrored affairs that provide an excellent test of one’ s comfort with vulnerability. It’ s the sort of detail- alongside the stickercovered doors, the sheer scale of everything, the unapologetic excess- that tells you Big Mamma isn’ t interested in doing things by halves.
Service was warm, efficient, genuinely Italian. The food, crucially, matches the theatre. This isn’ t style over substance, it’ s both, in equal glorious measure.
bigmammagroup. com / italian-restaurants / gloria-london bigmamma. uk
© Joann Pai
© Jérôme Galland © Joann Pai www. insidekent. co. uk • 121