If you're in west London, Ida is the place to go. One of the only restaurants in London with hand-rolled pasta, Ida has character, a great atmosphere and of course delicious food. The staff are attentive and the service is great. Try the Tagliatelle Ragu Marchigiano. This twist on the classic tagliatelle ragu is delicious. The handmade pasta soaks up the delicious sauce and one is provided with a generous bowl of parmesan without even asking! (This is very rare in my experience of Italian restaurants) I go here often and will continue to do so. I strongly recommend Ida.
My partner lives locally to this place so I jumped at the chance to go when we had time. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by the fantastic aroma of their cooking. There place itself looks so cozy and romantic with candles and flowers on each table. The menu is small but everything looks enticing. I opted for the gnocchi which was handmade with gorgonzola sauce and walnuts. It was perfect. Exactly how I like my food. Simple but packing a punch with the taste. The chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce and almonds for dessert was a great finish too.
This is a fantastic local place which I recommend to anyone that likes Italian food!
I was not expecting much when I found this place, as it is a lonely restaurant in a quiet neighborhood, even though I liked the cosy decoration. I order the "Menu Povero": a glass of red wine with a choice of pasta. I have lived in Italy for 1.5 years so I have tried some pasta before, but I must say the Spaghetti alla Carreteria were absolutely delicious! So good I asked for bread to leave nothing in the plate. The bread was also very good.
I had the dark chocolate panacotta after that which was a good dessert to finish this meal. I definitely recommend this place.
Having just reviewed a restaurant where as soon as I entered the premises I wanted to exit left, the charming setting that is Ida's, on the other hand, gives you a rather warm glow - it's inviting, nicely set out and has a homely feel to it.
I was first drawn to Ida's because a lot of locals had told me that they'd thoroughly enjoyed the food, the intimate setting and the pleasant and relaxed atmoshpere.
I had read from the website that the pasta is hand rolled daily- a rarity these days. There are no Italian restaurants in my locality of Harlesden and the nearest in Notting Hill, Kensal Rise etc are usually extortionate and so up their own backsides it's a bloody disgrace (apart from the sublime Osteria Basilica). Why? The ingredients are, by and large not that expensive - I've yet to fathom it.
Anyway, four of us decided to give Ida's a whirl. The menu is small, always a good sign in my book, rustic and inviting - the lenticchie, antipasto for two and the raw salad were ordered for starters, followed by the tagliatelle with a pork, chicken and beef ragu and also with porcini mushrooms with truffles and the gnocchi in a goat's cheese and saffron sauce, a couple of side salads and carafes of the house Sicilian white and red wines.
We tried eachother's food which is all part of eating out - sharing food and chewing the fat - few things better it. The dish of raw cauliflower and broccoli with pomegranate was a crunchy, fresh delight, brought together by a lovely, zingy, olive oil and orange zest dressing.
The lentils were a massive hit - creamy, slow cooked and with the perfect texture and flavour.
The antispasti, the usual affair of salami, olives and cheese, (pecorino on this occasion) was of good quality and it came with a beltingly good basket of bread - again, so often one is presented with a pretty lousy selection of distinctly non Italian, airy crap. A second basket was very quickly ordered as all my companions devoured it with rapacious eagerness.
The gnochhi were as light as a feather and the goat's cheese sauce delicate and delicious. Equally good was the porcini sauce with that almost meaty depth that I so enjoy. The ragu of three meats in the tomato sauce was a total triumph of flavours and we all thought the quality of pasta was second to none.
The only disappointment was the house wine. I didn't like it at all. I find it rather empty with a very unpleasant finish. What can I say? That's just my personal taste and when I had a look at the wine menu found it rather uninteresting and a little over priced.
This said, with everything else so vastly superior to most of the surrounding, Italian offerings at half the price (a very reasonable £31 a head), I know I'll be back to sample a little bit of Italy transported so wonderfully well to this lucky part of West London. Te salut.
Once inside it is like you have been transported back to Italy and a lovely little restaurant. It is small so booking is highly advisable. The food was great - they make their own pasta and it shows. I also liked the fact the menu/wine list is not massive - they seem to just concentrate of getting the basics right. Friendly staff, lovely ambience. Would return.
Fantastic neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Queens Park - everything was delicious and the staff are friendly and helpful. The ambiance is fantastic. Also very good value for the quality of the food. Highly recommended!
Very good, family run, italian restaurant. The seabass with olives and capers was really good and so was the butternut squash to start. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere. They have a set lunch menu but you can also order a la carte. Overall very nice experience here.
Lovely family run restaurant! Everything was perfect! Excellent food and ambiance! Highly recommanded!
Cosy Italian heaven! Fresh high quality Italian food! Everything 10/10!
Lovely family run restaurant. Excellent food and ambiance. Enjoyed the hand made pasta. Prices on the higher end, slightly bigger portions and it would be perfect. Desserts were good, not too sweet. Best to make reservations as they are really packed.
Absolutely excellent, the restaurant is very prettily decorated and has great ambiance. The staff were very friendly and helpful, the drinks were delicious and the food was brilliant. On top of all this it's very reasonably priced!
The steak was cooked perfectly and was excellent however the pasta was the real highlight, may go for two pasta portions next time!
I'm a massive fan of this restaurant. The food is delicious, be it pasta, meat or dessert. The staff are super friendly. The atmosphere is great and it offers good value. A perfect authentic neighbourhood restaraunt.
We enjoyed our meal here. The food was faultless, authentic and full of flavour. The restaurant's poor acoustics and frantic nature could suit some diners, not for me.
Lovely quaint relaxed and friendly Italian restaurant. Old school decor. Wife had the Seabass with she loves and I had the swordfish linguine (very good). Nice Tiramisu. Will go back again...book early... difficult to get reservations.
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