PIADA - Italian slow food, fast and fresh

PIADA, located at 12-14 St John Street, London, opened in Smithfield Market in September 2006, with a second restaurant just opened in Soho’s Frith Street. Piade - or piadine as they are also known – are a unique Italian flatbread hailing from the Emilia-Romagna region of northeast Italy and considered by many to be one of the country’s most delicious forms of street food.

In PIADA’s basement kitchen the bread is made daily by Neapolitan Renato Sommella using Italian ’00 flour, water and Solivoil: 100% extra virgin oil in a solid state. This ensures the piada bread develops a similar light and crisp texture upon contact with the griddle to that produced using lard yet with all the benefits of olive oil in terms of health and flavour.

In around four minutes and in front of the customer, the bread is griddled and filled with one of 16 different concoctions numbered zero through to sedici (the superstitious owners have omitted number 13). Piadine on the menu include Zero: salame milanese and stracchino cheese and Sei: speck, caprino cheese and tomato. PIADA pride themselves on creating their flatbreads using only the freshest Italian ingredients, in chime with the seasons. These range from speck and bresaola to buffalo mozzarella and stracchino cheese from Lombardy.

Also available at the restaurant are authentic sfogliatelle: a Neapolitan ricotta and fruit filled light flaky pastry shell, popular with one of PIADA’s Illy espressos or cappuccinos.

PIADA’s interior and brand identity has been created by Pocknell Studio and echoes the spirit of simple futurist design with a classic red, black and white palette. Striking photographs by Milton Gendel adorn the walls.

Such is the following that PIADA has generated among trendy Italians, its co-owner Kate Stewart often finds herself addressing her customers in Italian. With a second site that opened in August 2007, PIADA looks set to become a firm favourite amongst Londoners and Italians alike.