SUGO 82 ; Do Go
by Georgia Gibson
A small cosy restaurant perfect for aperitivo and the best plate of pasta under a tenner. Read more at the Bimble blog!
“Featuring classics from our nonnas , reimagined” reads the menu of Sugo 82; succinctly summarising the three elements at the heart of this London restaurant: tradition, family, and the new generation of entrepenneurs. One of which, I was able to catch on facetime for an interview as he was, appropriately, in Italy on travels. Cigarette dangling from his mouth, promenading in an Italian piazza, Matteo recounts the story behind his panini and pasta truck that took London by storm.
“Our first food truck was actually a converted ice cream van” Matteo tells me, proving that at Sugo, cuisine wasn’t the only thing that fell under the remit of reimagining classics. Their mouthwatering meals-on-wheels were met with huge success and they soon opened their first permanent, brick and mortart site in Vinegar Yard. Less time on the move gave them “more time to mix up the menu”, and even to land a lease on Sayer Street in London’s Elephant and Castle. Covid-19 had other plans for Sugo-82 however, and the grand opening was delayed until November 2021. But the pandemic, with its increased demands for delivery and change in office culture, was also responsible for the promotion of pasta as the MVPlate on Sugo 82’s menu, and so if the pandemic gave us anything, let’s at least be grateful for more pasta.
Matteo describes the food as “cucina povera” referring to the sustainable cooking tradition from rural Italy. Prosciutto emerged out of the need to make ham last during long winters, whilst bruschetta came from stretching bread past what we would now call its sell-by date — techniques familiar to both the Italians and, it has to be said, uni students and their attempts at cooking. This perhaps explains the match made in heaven that inspired the creators of Sugo 82: Italian uni students armed with minimal resources and many recipes.
Matteo goes on to stress that “everything from the restaurant décor, to our casual service, is orientated around recreating the Italian cultural experience”. The staff is young and friendly and have their own favourites from the menu, the presentation is a perfect balance between rustic and refined, and the food? A fusion of the familiar and the future, simple yet succulent, and with that exclusively Italian way of giving you a whole plate of carbohydrates and somehow leaving you feeling lighter than when you started. Their menu is a whistle-stop taste tour through southern Italy — “we have arancini and pesto from Sicily, carbonara from Rome, nduja from Calabria”, because, ragazzi, even when flights are being cancelled left right and centre, taste buds can still travel.
“Even when flights are being cancelled left right and centre, taste buds can still travel.”
“There isn’t, in my opinion, any crazy skill in cooking good food, it’s more about creating the right environment and finding the right ingredients,” Matteo tells me. Their restaurant’s environment is certainly the right one, and they’re pretty damn good at the finding part too because the pistachio pesto scooped up in the little saucers of orecchiette pasta was one of the most enjoyable edible experiences I’ve had to date. I was tipped off about this particular dish by Shay, my attentive waiter, who put it down as a real fan favourite. The ‘fusilini 6 hours pork ragù’ is earthy and tender and the carbonara rich but not overpowering. My biggest tip here would be to not stop at the pasta, and power through to the bomboloni (stuffed mini doughnuts), specifically the pistachio one. I’m not going to say anything else, because I really won’t need to.
So what can we expect next Matteo? “We’re taking it slow, and enjoying the process” an attitude I loved hearing was as much a part of the business plan as the kitchen culture. “From September you can expect to see seasonal specials every 2 months, collaborations with influencers, and of course lots more festivals and private events with our food truck”
Quick Fire Round:
- Favourite mouthful from your menu: “The pistachio pesto orecchiette”
- Top pasta tips: “Use less ingredients, keep the pasta water, and fit the pasta type to the sauce: rigatoni for tomato, orecchiette for pesto, linguini for fish-based dishes”
- The weirdest ravioli filling that somehow works: “Gorgonzola and pear”
- Last meal on earth: “My grandmother’s minestrone — it takes me straight back to her house, or spaghetti alle vongole which makes me think of collecting fresh clams during our Italian summers. My last meal would have to be something that brought back memories.”
Indeed, Sugo 82’s pasta makes you feel as if you too are remembering the classics of your Italian grandmother — even if like me, you are begrudgingly British through and through.
Catch more Italian greats at the placelist below — only on Bimble.
All images courtesy of Sugo 82 — find them on Instagram here!
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