Mortimer House Kitchen to open as Italian restaurant under Tom Cenci

Chef Tom Cenci is set to take over Mortimer House Kitchen in London's Fitzrovia with a new Italian concept.

Cenci, the executive chef of Mortimer House Kitchen and Nessa in London's Soho, which opened in March last year, will be launching the Italian-inspired restaurant on the ground floor of private members' club Mortimer House on 5 February.

Dishes on the menu have been influenced by Cenci's family summers spent in Orta San Giulio, Piedmont and the Amalfi Coast, and will make use of British and Italian produce. They will include crispy polenta and Parmesan mayonnaise, zucchini Caesar with parmesan and pangrattato, chicken or aubergine parmigiana with marinara sauce, sirloin steak served on focaccia, and cannoli with sweet ricotta and pistachio.

A breakfast menu featuring the likes of Italian baked eggs on focaccia, Tuscan beans on toast, and pancakes with ricotta, Amalfi lemon curd and maple syrup, will also be available.

Cenci has partnered with Mortimer House's bar manager Massimo Golfetto to create a cocktail menu featuring drinks such as the Milano-Bassano and the Alba.

The team will be joined by head chef Tim Connor, who was previously part of the team at Nessa, and general manager Grace Trozado, who was formerly at the Standard in London's King's Cross.

Guy Ivesha, founder of Maslow's and Nessa, said: "The last year has been a big one for Maslow's with the opening of 1 Warwick in Soho and I am so proud of what we have created with Tom at Nessa. He is a hugely creative chef and brilliant leader, so I am very excited to extend our partnership to Mortimer House Kitchen."

Cenci added: "Life in Italy revolves around mealtimes – it's all about family feasting, preparing fresh ingredients and using the best local produce. I've always loved this style of cooking and am excited to welcome people to share this with me and the team this year."

Photo: David Robson