Ed Templeton, Naz Hassan, and The White Lotus star Theo James will open Milanese restaurant Ornella on Wilton Way in London Fields at the end of April.
Named in homage to the Milanese singer Ornella Vanoni, the 48-cover restaurant will serve classic dishes from Northern Italy, where head chef Hassan was raised and will explore what the team believes to be a region still relatively under represented in the capital’s restaurant scene.
The menu has been created in partnership with chef Alessandro Boscolo and will follow the classic antipasti, primi, secondi, dolci structure, with dishes such as mondeghili meatballs; penne alla vodka; and risotto alla Milanese.
Signature dishes will include vitello tonnato; ‘elephant’s ear’ cotoletto di vitello; and desserts like mille foglie alle fragole; and zuppa Inglese.
“We’d always spoken about doing another one one day but I don’t think we ever imagined we’d be opening a second restaurant just nine months later. Sites like this one don’t come up very often though,” says co-founder Templeton.
“When we were discussing the concept, we knew immediately that we had to give Naz the chance to cook the food of his home city. He’s exceptionally talented, as is his sous chef Sandro. We can’t wait to see how they channel their talent into another iconic city with another very strong culinary identity.
“We could have done a second Lupa, and maybe we will one day, but we wanted to do something even more ambitious here and Milan gives us licence to do that. We’re super excited to become part of another very special neighbourhood”.
Ornella follows the opening of LUPA, the bijou Roman restaurant that the trio opened in Highbury in June last year.
The restaurant joins Teal by Sally Abé, which has just opened on Wilton Way in the former Sesta site.