Review: Figo Stratford

I have to admit to regularly having walked straight past Figo in Stratford Cross without giving it much thought.

I’d vaguely pinned it to my mental food map as a sturdy kind of pizza/pasta option, but that was about it. So it was genuinely rather exciting to finally head inside and discover that it actually delivers a whole lot more than the average Italian mainstay in terms atmosphere, delivery – and the quality coming from both the kitchen and the bar.

Destined for our first visit to Sadler’s Wells East, I was keen to road test the local-meal-and-a-show format that’s instantly ‘a thing’ round here, with the opening of East Bank’s fantastic new cultural venue.

Clearly I’ve not been paying enough attention though, as the ABBA crowd have obviously been exercising their own version of said ‘thing’ on this patch for a number of years already. With a Chiquitita-heavy soundtrack and a number of diners sporting very glittering outfits, it didn’t take long to realise this is already a prime pre-show dining destination, despite the decent ongoing walk to get to Voyage arena. No disrespect to the Dancing Queens, but the cool factor inside Figo improved when they headed off in good time.

The space has a bustling, almost New York style energy to it, which was infectious. As the expertly-made Negroni began to course through our post-work veins, our table – beneath the fairy light woven branches of a huge olive tree – increasingly began to fill with the promise of a great night.

Starters of a melting soft grilled octopus tentacle with burrata cream, and well-proportioned crunch to goo ration of truffle and taleggio endowed arancini lifted things up a notch further.

Our server, Simone, picked up on – and ran with – our building enthusiasm, engaging us with just enough of the requisite flourish about the dishes, his homeland, working in London, and passion for all three.

I often avoid bowls of pasta out and about, but something said it would be a good choice here, and the twisted caserecce with Sicilian fennel sausage and porcini mushrooms backed up that decision.

Best of all though was a deeply rich nest of tagliatelle slathered in an unashamedly bold truffle, stracciatella and cured egg yolk sauce. Well worth returning for.

Decent gelato to share was all we could face after that, and the clock was ticking, yet within the space of three mins we were in our seats at the Sadler’s Wells East auditorium, nourished, amused, perfectly primed for the rest of the evening.

The menu at Figo is on the pricier side, but the whole experience was great; an ideal destination before a night of contemporary dance, or indeed Dancing Queen.