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The fresh pasta shop and restaurant Burro e Salvia has closed its branch in Dulwich. It closed on Saturday 6 January, yet only yesterday was announced via Twitter user @tuckandvine who called it another piece of “sad Jan restaurant news... use em or lose em folks.” The site on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch remains open for business.
A statement on the restaurant’s front door read:
“Dear Customers
We regret to inform you that we have now permanently closed the shop and restaurant. We will exceptionally open the fresh counter on Saturday 6th January (10:00-5.00 pm) should you wish to buy some more pasta before we all join our Shoreditch team.Buon Natale and May the Force be with you!
Gaia and the Burro e Salvia team”
Asked why the restaurant closed, Gaia told Eater London:
“We are moving all operations to our Shoreditch branch which has constantly seen a growth over the past 5 years. It hasn’t been the case in East Dulwich, where we traded for 3 years with inconsistent results. We got an offer for the space and we saw the best way out, so we took it. Now we are focused on growing even more in Shoreditch, where even our pasta workshops are in high demand. The mix of customers who live/work or visit in Shoreditch gives us more opportunities rather than relying entirely on a residential customer base.”
The restaurant, whose Shoreditch site is perhaps one of the trendy neighbourhood’s real hidden gems, arrived in May 2013, predating fresh pasta’s ‘moment’ in the city (spearheaded by Rotorino and Padella and more recently followed by, Sager & Wilde Paradise Row, Flour & Grape and Pastaio.) The Dulwich site opened in early 2015.
The shops, the name of which means Butter and Sage, were inspired by “Italian homes, memories of good things and manners, and the wholesome food of our kitchens.”
“Enter the world of Burro e Salvia to experience the familiar comforts of fresh handmade pasta: watch as a “sfoglina” (the pasta maker) works at her craft, select from a variety of “folds” and seasonal specialties to take home, or eat in within the comfort and style of our dining rooms.
“Fresh pasta is a lifestyle and a culture that is the envy of the world, and we’re proud to have brought one of Italy’s most traditional artisanal trades, the Pastificio, to London.”
Burro e Salvia’s signature beef, pork and spinach ‘agnolotti cavour’ is one of Shoreditch’s outstanding options for a quick lunch. The off-menu lasagne, too, with grassy, early harvest extra virgin olive oil and a snow shower of 36-month-aged Parmesan is similarly thrilling. It has the added benefit of coming without a huge side of hype.