Polentina

The Best Imitation Foods and Faux Dishes in London Restaurants | Eater London

"The staff canteen and breakroom at Apparel Tasker, a clothing factory in Bow, also happens to be one of London’s most interesting Italian restaurants. Over weekday lunches, Friday suppers, and regular pop-ups, chef Sophia Massarella serves deeply regional menus, traversing the boot and its islands from Umbria to Bari to Sardinia through wisely selected dishes with a strong sense of linguistic fun. Zuppa di finocchietti selvatici is not a soup, but a soak, of Sardinian flatbread, fennel, and cheese, muddled together and baked. Umbricelli’s thick earthworms of pasta are named after the Perugian word for the creatures, and the uova in trippa alla romana is eggs cooked like tripe, in a rich and rough tomato sauce. It’s the most mediocre omelette that makes the highest quality fake tripe, cooked until almost rubbery, with bubbles dispersed throughout, before being sliced into lengths." - Hester van Hensbergen