When you think of the words: Italian takeaway, 99% of you will be thinking pizza and it is often the poor quality ones which will offer you a free bottle of coke to hide the taste of their inferior ingredients. Well, the arrival of House of Godo will change your perspective. Their founders Amin and Simone have definitely spotted a sorely missing gap in the market for premium quality Italian takeaways.
The Michelin-starred pedigree is undeniable, their head chef Tommaso Arrigoni came from Innocenti Evasioni in Milan where they were awarded a Michelin star in 2008. He also teaches at the famous cookery school, Incontri con lo Chef, as well as appearing on Italian national TV, writing cookbooks and in food magazines.
Great thought has gone into the construction of each pasta dish. Their Mezzi paccheri with fassone beef ragù has a complex combination of San Marzano tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Alpeggio butter, which brought an intense aromatic flavour to the pasta. All these ingredients have been imported from Italy except for the beef. You just can’t get more authentically Italian than this without flying over to Milan.
The lobster penne rigate has significant amounts of fresh crustacean meat and you can smell the distinctive lobster taste along with the springs onions and tomatoes as soon as you open the jar that the dish comes in. I would be extremely surprised if you’ve seen more premium packaging anywhere else. It comes in a sturdy looking jar that wouldn’t look out-of-place in the kitchen department of Selfridges and then presented in a slick green and black takeaway box.
They currently have a pop-up site in Mayfair serving these dishes. It is in the quieter part of the area near the former In and Out club. The space does look more like a minimalist interior design shop rather than your destination of choice for dinner. The dishes ordered there did come out a little less al dente than expected, because they don’t have a kitchen team there (the kitchen team is based in Tower Hill). The reheating process meant the pasta was slightly over cooked. Perhaps they need to undercook the dishes at the headquarters before bringing them over to the pop-up, although the ideal scenario would be to find a space to fit a full kitchen team for future pop-ups.
This is however a young team to take note, they plan to add more dishes especially starters and desserts on their menu soon and days when Londoners have to put up with inferior takeaway options might be over soon.