Officina 00, the Italian kitchen and workshop that originally launched in Old Street in 2019, will open its second restaurant in Fitzrovia on November 15, secured by UK leisure and property agency, Shelley Sandzer.
It will see refined, regionally-inspired plates join perfectly-prepared pasta dishes, influenced by the cooking traditions of Naples - the hometown of founders Enzo Mirto and Elia Sebregondi, who have risen through the ranks of Roka and Kiln before opening their own venture.
Head chef Elia's menu will feature new dishes such as sourdough bread with truffle parmigiano butter; baccala mantecato with chickpea schiacciata, tomato chutney and beetroot; and king oyster mushroom, caprino, crostini and young sunflower to start; and the likes of spicy octopus with crispy saffron rice or confit tomato tartare, burrata, caperberries and rocket to follow.
Pastas will be made in-house daily on the spianatoia, a traditional wooden work-bench said to absorb the humidity of the pasta, giving a unique texture that helps sauces to stick.
Using Officina’s own fully-traceable pastaflour - specially milled in England, which makes it a far more sustainable option - pasta plates will include sweetcorn ravioli with girolles, pea shoots and parmesan; ink raviolo bergese - oversized ravioli - with egg yolk, crab, turmeric butter and mizuna; anolini with smoked shiitake broth, soy and confit garlic butter; and casarecce with red and yellow datterino, black olives, capers, chilli and parsley.
New additions to the kitchen including a smoker, fryer and grill mean that Officina Fitzrovia can broaden its repertoire of dishes with a wider range of cooking techniques on show.
A concise selection of Italian desserts including tiramisu corretto will round off proceedings.
House cocktails reference Italian classics - with bartenders serving the likes of spritz’, negroni, a limoncello martini and cold brew espresso martini, as well as an Italo-inspired margarita; while thoughtfully-chosen wines and beers complete the relaxed drinks menu.
While the exemplary provenance of the ingredients remains, Officina Fitzrovia’s decor will see an elevation befitting its new address.
Enzo remarked, 'The restaurant will feature surfaces rendered in steel and wood, whilst maintaining the signature colour palate of bottle green and charcoal.
'We couldn't be more excited for the opening of Fitzrovia, and to introduce a new menu to this part of London.'
“This restaurant represents the next stage in our journey of bringing proper Italian cooking to the capital. While we have some delicious new dishes on the menu, our signature pastas will still be a big part of our identity - made using a special grade of flour exclusive to us, which we call pastaflour, produced by Wildfarmed.
'It’s more workable, retains more nutrients and has an earthier taste. We can’t wait for our guests to try it.”
