Evening Standard
David Ellis enjoyed a “flawed” but highly atmospheric meal at Kiwi/Italian chef Dara Klein’s trattoria, now in permanent premises following an attention-grabbing residency at the Compton Arms in Islington, and the sort of loud, convivial, candle-lit place where guests tend to order another carafe of wine.
Not bound to any region, Klein “simply plates up what she fancies, the stuff that makes people feel good” – most notably, her compelling chicken Milanese, “a giant of a thing… Klein’s improvement is to top the crisply breadcrumbed meat with green apple, fennel and celery: the mix is sweet and fresh and slightly tart all together.”
Most of the cooked dishes, though, were over-salted – an “obvious mistake” David felt could easily be rectified – and the pricing was inconsistent. But, he insisted: “I’ll be back; I’d bring friends here. That’s the test, really, isn’t it?”
David Ellis - 2026-02-15The Daily Telegraph
William Sitwell was relieved that despite being hyped as the ‘opening of the year’, the new permanent home of chef Dara Klein’s former residency project is no more than a “resoundingly normal” local Italian offering an “unremarkable” collection of dishes, many of which nod to the region of Emilia-Romagna.
“Tiella may be big news for some. For me it’s just a simple, busy, neighbourhood restaurant. Which, frankly, is really all a great restaurant should hope to be.
“Tiella leaps out from the pack, reminding me of the sort of Italian restaurants my father would take me to in London in the Eighties. They were unobtrusive, they were busy and we had fun. And I don’t remember what we ate.”
William Sitwell - 2026-05-03
Drinks
Extras
