What's the draw
Puglian cooking revolves around simple but excellent roasted and grilled meats, fresh homemade pasta and oodles of fresh fish. And that's exactly what you'll find at the second branch of Ostuni – a restaurant dedicated to Puglian food – which has just made the pilgrimage north to the village-like surrounds of Highgate.
What to drink
We kicked things off with a negroni – what else? – to whet the appetite, before moving on the wine list, which is conveniently divided up into 'Puglian' and 'regional Italian'. We opted for the reasonably priced, light and juicy 2013 salento rosso, from Cantina Sampietrana – a refreshing choice for the warmer weather.
What to eat
Italian is one of the best-loved cuisines around the world, and when it's done this well, it's not hard to see why. From the outset, the starters are undeniably moreish, from delicate and tangy tuna carpaccio with pink peppercorns, celery and lemon, to baked aubergine salentina, a softly collapsing goo of stunning Italian flavours. As for mains, the green olive leaf-shaped pasta is outstanding, topped with creamy burrata and pungent shavings of truffle, while the arrosto misto is a feast of three bombettes – a traditional Puglian dish of thinly sliced pork wrapped in provolone cheese and roasted in the fornello (a specially made Italian oven) – complemented by a hunk of lamb neck and intensely seasoned chicken alla diavola.
Mains from £15; wine from £20 by the bottle. 1 Hampstead Lane, Highgate, N6 4RS; ostunirestaurant.co.uk
