The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

CultureFood & DrinksRestaurant & bar reviews

Angelina in Dalston: Where Italy meets Japan

Angelina in Dalston: Where Italy meets Japan | Restaurant review
6 August 2019
Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Filippo L'Astorina
Avatar
Filippo L'Astorina
6 August 2019

Food

Filippo L'Astorina4

Angelina

★★★★★

Cuisine

Italian-Japanese

Rating

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Highlights

Oyster and yuzu, Maltagliati

Links

InstagramFacebookMapWebsite

Angelina is a modern restaurant in Dalston. It’s a stylish, minimalist space with tables at the front, by the large windows, and further seats at the back, by the kitchen counter, right next to the chefs’ action. Behind a door, there’s a secret bar too – a six-seat hideaway dubbed as “Golden Gai”, named after Tokyo’s Shinjuku Golden Gai nightlife district, known for its narrow passageways (only a single person can walk through them).

Chef Daniele Ceforo, formerly of Bocca di Lupo and Café Murano, conceived a cuisine that mixes his Italian roots with Japanese culture. These two popular cuisines have a lot in common: the simplicity, ingredients and even cooking styles. They share a love for carbohydrates too – think about rice, pasta and noodles – and a scarce use of heavy elements such as butter or cream.

As I walk in, I meet an influential national critic who shares his excitement with me. We decide to sit by the kitchen to appreciate Angelina’s concept in full. The team is typically Italian, the counter made of marble; above us, a number of Japanese lanterns reiterate the cultural – I will use the f word now, pardon me – fusion.

There’s a set menu and the price is more than reasonable, £38 for the whole journey. Alternatively, there’s a daily plate at £9. The starters/snacks arrive in one go, and the counter becomes a banquet. The centrepiece is the oyster with yuzu granita; the fine mollusc is also prepared in tempura with lotus roots and baby squid. A highlight are the raw dishes: the tuna, rolled with monkfish and then thinly sliced (marinated in soy sauce), and the mix of salmon and gurnard with daikon and yuzu. The fried snacks are fun – especially the shizu leaf with salsiccia – but a bit too oily: some time to rest on paper before being served would make a huge difference.

The first of two (small) mains is Tagliatelle, Rabbit, Shitake and Egg. Because there are two of us, and we like to try different things, we ask for one to be replaced with the daily plate, which is a marvellous bowl of maltagliati. The latter is probably the best dish of all because it strikes the perfect balance between Italian and Japanese. The pasta is made from proper fresh dough, and the ingredients – pork, ginger, spring onion and chilli – speak of Japan without being out of context. The tagliatelle is good too, though they fully belong to the Italian heritage of the chef. These are followed by a delicious Skate Wing, Keta Caviar, Veal and Samphire.

Finally, we have dessert. The chocolate caprese is wonderful and paired with yuzu, gooseberry and milk gelato. You can enjoy the intensity of the chocolate and mix it with the rich yuzu cream. All the dishes come with a clever wine pairing (£35), from the gambarella classico (with the snacks) to the nebbiolo (with the tagliatelle) and the Roero arneis (with the skate wing). The more surprising is a glass of sweet merlino – a lagrein fortified with brandy – for the caprese.

On a Wednesday night, Angelina is buzzy and sociable. As the sun goes down, it’s good to see the two different moods and how the restaurant changes, becoming more intimate whilst maintaining its liveliness. This is definitely good news for Dalston and for London as a whole, who can now offer one more in the deficient category of creative Italian restaurants.

★★★★★

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Filippo L’Astorina
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

To book a table at Angelina, 56 Dalston Lane London E8 3AH, call 0207 241 1851 or visit their website here.

Related Itemsfeaturedreview

More in Food & Drinks

Amaya in Belgravia: A true testament to the magic of the tandoor

★★★★★
Rosamund Kelby
Read More

IT London in Mayfair: Authentic and refined Italian dishes in a swanky restaurant

★★★★★
Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Five of the best Christmas afternoon teas in London

The editorial unit
Read More

Borough Market Kitchen brings the community together with delicious world cuisine

Peter Ford
Read More

Hot Stone in Angel: Creative sushi and premium wagyu beef cooked right at the table

The editorial unit
Read More

Omnino Steakhouse in the City: South American flavours with breathtaking intensity

★★★★★
Peter Ford
Read More

The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle strikes back: Santiago Lastra “remixes” Peter Gunn as 138 restaurants swap recipes

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

The Grill at the Dorchester in Mayfair: Young talent takes the restaurant to new heights

★★★★★
Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Sagardi celebrates 15th Txuleton gastronomic season with a special menu

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Food

Filippo L'Astorina4

Angelina

★★★★★

Cuisine

Italian-Japanese

Rating

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Highlights

Oyster and yuzu, Maltagliati

Links

InstagramFacebookMapWebsite

Tickets

Theatre tickets

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Five of the best Christmas afternoon teas in London
    Food & Drinks
  • Three Sisters at the National Theatre
    Theatre
  • IT London in Mayfair: Authentic and refined Italian dishes in a swanky restaurant
    ★★★★★
    Food & Drinks
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Jumanji: The Next Level
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Amaya in Belgravia: A true testament to the magic of the tandoor
    ★★★★★
    Food & Drinks
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Pulse Light Clinic: Laser hair removal review
    Fashion & Lifestyle
  • “Sting always makes me want to choreograph”: An interview with ZooNation director Kate Prince
    Theatre
  • A Kind of People at the Royal Court Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • IT London in Mayfair: Authentic and refined Italian dishes in a swanky restaurant
    ★★★★★
    Food & Drinks
  • The Snow Queen at Park Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Three Sisters at the National Theatre
    Theatre
  • A Taste of Honey at Trafalgar Studios
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2018 FL Media Ltd

Camden Fringe 2019: Angel at the Water Rats | Theatre review
Camden Fringe 2019: Forgetting Heledd at Camden People’s Theatre | Theatre review