It all began with Trullo. Ever since opening back in June 2010, this Italian-inspired restaurant has made people sit up and take Islington's culinary scene seriously. Jordan Freida and chef Tim Siadatan have created a "small menu showcasing what's good right now and what's been made today" based primarily around a charcoal grill and fresh pasta. The pappardelle with Italian sausage ragu is a must - warming and deeply satisfying, full of aromatic herbs, red wine and an intense pork flavour. Resembling a traditional trattoria, with its net curtains and white paper tablecloths, Trullo does inevitably draw comparisons with Freida's alma mater, The River Café, in Hammersmith. However, the backdrop of St Paul's Road brings with it a certain offhand sort of elegance that the River Thames simply does not. Describing the area as "a very 'real' neighbourhood" with a "really unique energy, accessibility and relevance in modern London," Freida affirms that "we're really proud that you can come here and have a good meal and a bottle of wine for £30 per head, and that will never change, so we get young and old, lavish and modest - exactly what a good neighbourhood restaurant should do!"