What to order at NOTTO, according to Phil Howard

Industry veteran Phil Howard made his name – and his Michelin stars – with high-end cuisine, first at The Square in Mayfair and, since 2016, at Elystan Street in Chelsea. Always a superb pasta chef – his hand-rolled macaroni with sticky chicken wings, mousserons, cauliflower and Vacherin lives on in The Square Cookbook – he turned his attention in the pandemic to NOTTO, originally a fresh pasta delivery service. He and business partner Julian Dyer opened the first bricks-and-mortar NOTTO on Piccadilly in 2022, followed one year later by another in Covent Garden. Next month, he’s reimagining the concept for a new audience in the City, with the launch of a fast-casual NOTTO in the City of London. Here, Howard gives us the inside story on his favourite dishes including, in his words, the best value truffle pasta in London.

Gnocchetti with Smashed Sausage, White Wine, Garlic and Chili, £12.50

“Everything on the menu is delicious. There’s no two ways about that. But one of the things I’ve come to learn when you’re trying to appeal to everyone is that you really have to keep it pretty mainstream because that’s what people want. People want things they’re familiar with. Sausage pasta is one of the all-time greats. It always creeps back on at this time of year. It’s a crowd-pleaser; people love it. An Italian-style sausage from HG Walter, fennel seeds, a splash of white wine for a bit of acidity because the sausage is fatty, garlic, chilli…it’s one of the absolute greats. I also really like the gnocchetti because it’s small – it’s the size and shape of a coffee bean – and, with the sauce, it almost comes together like a risotto. I’m not really a risotto man; I never quite understood why; but risotto, to me, just becomes one-dimensional and gets boring, whereas pasta…I pretty much never tire of eating pasta.”

Strozzapreti with Black Truffles, Farmhouse Butter and Aged Parmesan, £25.00

“Australian truffles are phenomenal. We buy a huge quantity of them right towards the end of the season when they’re at their absolute peak and I get a great price on them. This year we will be doing 10g of truffle per portion. There is something about the mouthfeel of pasta, the flavour and aroma of black truffles, butter, and cheese that is one of life’s most delicious combinations. I do like truffle shaved over pasta particularly if it’s white truffle but actually our truffle is all microplaned into the sauce which, with black truffle, I actually prefer. It must be the best value truffle pasta dish in London. As you get older and wise and you park your creative ego to one side, you get a bit more intelligent about what you offer. It’s important to think about who is walking through the door and what is their budget. It’s not huge sums of money but it’s not going to be a lunchtime staple, but if you’ve done a great deal or had a great day, why not? It’s special.”

Ravioli of Delica Pumpkin and Chestnuts with Brown Butter, Capers, Pine Nuts and Sage, £13.75

“Another absolute classic. One of the only reasons that NOTTO exists really is because pasta is very scaleable. Most of the things I have been cooking in my career, you just trip over: there’s too many chefs; it’s too complicated; it’s too technical. But pasta is one of those things where you could argue that sauces such as bolognese are actually better made in bigger quantities than smaller. This ravioli is phenomenal; it’s super simple. We make the pumpkin mix – we’ve got these great Rational ovens – we bake the Delica pumpkins until they’re tender; crush them; season them; there’s a little bit of ricotta in there; and it’s as good for a thousand portions as it is for 25. We’ve got this amazing machine that makes millions of ravioli. With brown butter, capers, and sage, it’s one of the all-time greats.”

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