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Opened earlier this month, Pulia, in London’s Borough Market offers dishes from Italy’s region of the same name, Puglia. We at Vada were invited to try out what this new Italian restaurant has to offer.
Pulia
Located down the quiet Stoney Street, Pulia is on the ground floor of a new development. On entry guests may be confused for feeling they have arrived on a greek island. White washed walls with recesses that house the wine, and accents of terracotta throughout. There is also a generous use of wood and stone, which is intended to mimic the southern Italian landscape. Despite being off the main thoroughfares of Borough Market and being a new restaurant, Pulia was almost full on the Wednesday evening we visited.
Menu
Pulia offers a traditional Italian dining experience, so expect separate courses of starter, pasta, meat, and then dessert. Alternatively Pulia do offer pizza selection, which we suggest should replaces the pasta and meat courses, as they are rather large portions.
We started with Burrata di Andria con Prosciutto Crudo (Burrata with cured ham) (£14) and Insalata di Polpo (grilled octopus salad with potatoes and seasonal vegetables) (£13). As expected, both we simply presented without too much messing with the core ingredients. The Burrata was smooth and creamy, and the salad chunky and light despite a deceptively generous portion.
For pasta dishes we chose the Orecchiette al Brasato di Manzo Podolico (£16), the Orecchiette pasta from the Puglia region with slow-cooked beef, and the Strozzapreti con Dadolata di Tonno fresco in Brasiera (£16.50), that is Strozzapreti pasta with fresh tuna, aubergine and tomato sauce. As expected both dishes the pasta was cooked al dente, holding the sauce well.
For meat dishes we opted for Braciola al sugo Pugliese (£20) which are calf rolls in an Apulian sauce, and the Scorfano in umido (£21.50), a redfish with chard, olives and rosemary chips. The Braciola was chefs-kiss delicious, tender pulled beef reformed into neat rolls, with a light flavour from the sauce lapping over the texture of the meat. This meant that we couldn’t quite enjoy the redfish as much, which in comparison was blander.
After a short break and deliberation, we finally decided on desserts: chocolate soufflé with a pistachio mousse (£6.50) and Tiramisu (£6). The photos below show just how billowy the tiramisu was, with rich, flavoured cream. The chocolate soufflé was in fact a chocolate pudding melting in the middle, nonetheless we still considered this to be the best dessert on the menu.
For those wanting pizzas, they are priced between £10 and £19 depending on the toppings.
Service
The team at Pulia who greeted us were friendly and welcoming. Throughout dinner our servers brought food promptly and checked in between each course (for example for another drink or if the food was OK). Our only minor point was having to wait to ask for the bill at the end of dinner – that said, after 2.5 hours of eating, we were not pressed to leave.
Overall thoughts
Whilst the paint is still very fresh on the walls, Pulia is establishing an authentic southern Italian dining experience. The menu options, inspired by the Puglia region, add authenticity to the interior design. Located close to Borough Market, Pulia is easily accessible, and the staff transform this accessibility to a welcoming atmosphere. Dinner per person for a 4 course meal costs approximately £55 plus drinks and service.
Pulia is located at 36 Stoney Street, London, SE1 9LB
For more information or to book visit pulia.com.
