Ruby is a 15m2 room with a huge stove bustling with pans at one end, a wooden counter that runs along the window and three small tables. At lunchtime, it usually has a queue that spills into the street, which is a testimony to the quality of the food. The queue moves fast too because the men that run this place are part of a well-oiled machine, used to serving hundreds of hungry office workers around Shoreditch on a daily basis. You can take away or eat there, but space can be an issue.
They have a set menu and a handful of dishes that change daily, most of which are pasta, with at least 3 different ones being prepared every day.
From the set menu the chorizo, roast peppers and rocket sandwich is delicious. The chorizo is sliced diagonally and placed on a hot plate with the roasted peppers to be finished off and warmed before going into a two slices of ciabatta-style bread with the peppers. The chorizo unashamedly oozing orange fat into the soft bread. Not-to-be-missed.
All their pasta dishes I have tried were good, particularly the seafood ones like the crab and leek linguine.
The thing with Ruby is that you get a feeling that the cooks understand food and know how to cook a delicious home-style pasta dish. Most dishes have tones of garlic, olive oil and leek. I’m not complaining.
If you work around Shoreditch or if you are just passing by and feel like a hefty but yummy dose of comforting carbs, head to Ruby as you won’t regret it.
Where: London, Shoreditch
Cuisine: Italian (take-away)
Type: Café & Take-away
Occasion: Lunch (quick or takeaway)
Price: Appropriate
Rating: 4 stars
Would I go again? Yes, I will probably be there next week!
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