Pasta is the big thing at the moment right? Padella kicked it off. Then Stevie Parle’s Pastaio got in on the action and now Flour & Grape in South London’s Bermondsey Street.

It’s where Antico once was, the owner deciding to give the place an overhaul and focus mainly on pasta and wines by the glass so now we have Flour & Grape. The space is similar to before with exposed bricks and a buzzy filled-with-locals atmosphere.

We start with burrata (£6) which is surrounded by prosciutto braciotto. The cheese is creamy and gooey which works well with the ham. I don’t think I’ll ever find an unpalatable burrata.

Pork tenderloin tonnato (£7) – that’s slices of cold pork with a tuna sauce – is a bold and successful flavour combo but it’s not for the faint hearted. Bruschetta (£3) is a solid classic; a reminder that good quality ingredients need little tampering with.

Gigli pasta (£8) sees little frilly pasta shells perfect for scooping up the sausage ragu. The sauce is perfumed with fennel and every mouthful feels rich with butter. Tortelloni (£10) come generously stuffed with roasted pork shoulder. The pasta casings are light and delicate as is the sage butter while the pork provides a meaty punch.

Easy on the eye are ravioli bulging with vibrantly purple beetroot (£7). It’s the sort of dish I’d gladly go veggie for. A walnut sort-of-pesto is a nutty little accompaniment.

For dessert there’s a small list of gelato. Two scoops of tiramisu (£4), strong with coffee and chocolate, makes for a surprisingly refreshing end. If they sold it in tubs I would have gladly bought a van load of the stuff.

We had a fab meal and the fact it was busy our entire visit shows they’re doing something right. Was it better than Padella? Possibly not. But with Padella’s queues often lapping Borough Market, being able to book at Flour & Grape is starting to look rather attractive.

Would we go back? Yes

Flourandgrape.com
We dined as guests of the restaurant