FOOD & DRINK / RESTAURANT REVIEW
DESPITE APPEARANCES, the food at GOLA IS SUPERB
GOLA Authentic – if eccentric – Puglian cuisine in Fulham
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Wo r d s a m a n d a c o n s ta n c e
on’t judge a book by its cover. Will I ever learn? Even with actual books, as with bottles of wine, I still buy the ones with pretty pictures on the front. So I head off to Gola with a sense of trepidation; a look at the website beforehand doesn’t inspire confidence. Amateur images of Renaissance pictures in gaudy frames jostle with images of over-fussy dishes and an invitation to “enjoy our aphrodisiac food from Puglia”. There are ramblings about the seven deadly sins and lists of ingredients and their sexy properties. I fear some sort of ‘novelty’ experience and on arrival, my concerns aren’t much assuaged. Situated at the Parsons Green end of the Fulham Road, Gola has an unobtrusive exterior. The interior, however, is the diabolical lovechild of a brothel and nonna’s best efforts with the Christmas
deccies. It is gaudy and busy and sex is definitely a theme: ceramic stilettos and lips stuck out of walls painted a deep red. Then I meet Aaron, owner, Puglian and food devotee. As he leads us to our table – in a narrow atrium lined with illuminated wine bottles and ceramic rhino heads – and suggests he decide what we eat, I know everything would be just fine. For despite appearances, the food at Gola is superb. We start with a warming plate of deep fried polenta with shavings of black truffle and a pecorino and caciocavallo sauce (no, me neither, it’s a Puglian cheese). Then we have a burrata (creamy mozzarella from Puglia) wrapped in speck on bruschetta with more truffle. A steaming melanzane parmigiana makes me swoon with its rich aroma. Aaron explains that they don’t fry the aubergine but steam it to make it lighter; it is the best I’ve ever eaten.
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This is followed by a flatbread covered in fresh tomatoes and herbs. We wisely don’t devour it all, realising that Aaron is just getting started. A native of Foggia in Puglia, he is fervently committed to food. His restaurant uses only DOP ingredients – that’s Protected Designation of Origin – which means every mouthful is the real deal when it comes to provenance and quality. Fellow Puglian head chef Angelo Prezio’s signature dish of tagliolini with sea urchin is a buttery confection with rich globules of the sea creature. This is followed by a cleansing plate of salty le cime di rapa, traditional Puglian turnip greens. We then have two more pasta dishes – octopus with mash, macaroni and tomato and tortelloni stuffed with pecorino and honey smothered in a dark mushroom sauce – this is the stand out dish, the sweet pecorino a perfect foil for the dark savoury sauce. Though we are close to death from overeating, Aaron still tempts us to try a traditional Puglian sausage with fennel and even after that we manage a pudding: gnocchi stuffed with a chocolate praline. Even with its extraordinary soundtrack – the Margarita Pracatanesque cover of Coldplay’s Viva la Vida is not to be forgotten – Gola is a surprise and a delight. Properly Italian, Gola is a million miles away from po-faced serious dining and all the better for it. The best surprise I’ve had in a while. u
● ●G O L A
787 Fulham Road, SW6 5HD 020 7751 0141, golalondon.com
absolutely.london
26/10/2016 14:30