Bianco43 Greenwich… The menu is simple yet tremendously satisfying

There’s so much more to a successful restaurant than just good food.

It starts at the front door and I’m pleased to say the welcome at Bianco43 is warm and fuzzy.

Front of house and one of three business partners, Stefano is a jolly gentleman, who’s keen to imbue diners with the restaurant’s spirit.

He told me about its journey over the past few years and the under new management of three Italian natives for a good few months. Stefano hails from just outside Pisa, and a colleague is from Sardinia.

Despite the closure of the Blackheath restaurant, the remaining one in Greenwich, just by the Cutty Sark, has not only stayed on track but is positively thriving.

My late December visit was to a packed house and everyone seemed to have arrived with the same purpose – family dining.

Bianco43 is family focused through and through.

It’s a modern take on the trattoria that dotted high streets up and down the country at one time.

The menu is simple, yet tremendously satisfying. It’s one that leads the diner, or at least this one, down a nostalgic path.

So much so that I toyed with ordering lasagne, which I haven’t done in 20 years.

As we waited for the rest of our family group to arrive, starvation was held at bay by home-made focaccia, with mozzarella melted on top, which was nothing short of delightful.

They were served alongside a bowl of olives from Puglia. Stick Puglia in the description of any food and I’d eat it – these olives were particularly juicy and a mixture of colours, shapes and sizes, which added to its appeal.

Italy’s bread basket remains a foodie travel goal of mine.

Pizzas loom large on the menu and most of our group couldn’t resist the lure of the wood-fired oven.

From what I could tell, it’s authentic pizza all the way, with just the right combination of softness and burnished bubbling of the edges.

Pizzas are large enough to share, with some salad, not that we did, mind you.

Much of the menu lends itself to sharing, from antipasti classics, such as fried courgette and zucchini e, which is a personal favourite of mine.

Baked aubergine with mozzarella, Parmesan and tomato sauce is also a go-to dish of mine but is most filling so I left well enough alone on this occasion.

Whole deep fried burrata sounds like a culinary experience that needs investigating as soon as possible and until then, I can only dream of the molten cheesy centre.

For the main course, I chose a dish I often eat at home, which was a bit of a mistake. I usually go for dishes that I don’t cook to make a change and it’s a rule I’ll stick to in future.

Don’t get me wrong, tonarelli – a bit like spaghetti – in tomato, olive oil, garlic and chilli sauce tasted as it should but didn’t create that feeling of a break from the normal, in my mind.

The other option I mulled over was gnocchi with Gorgonzola and walnuts – I should have gone this route or perhaps for one of the 19 pizzas.

Diners who join the Bianco43 Club may well find themselves invited to wine and food tastings.

Check the website for details of how to join.

Bianco43 is at 43 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL.
Website: https://www.bianco43.com/

 

Pictures: Paloma Lacy