Where the Chefs Eat asks your favourite chefs for their top restaurants in cities across the world.
Every year, specific openings create a buzz in the London restaurant world that surpasses that of most others. Rather than a gentle hum of an opening, the doors fly open with a boom, and this year the openings at Town and Motorino have produced the loudest bangs. With Stevie Parle at the helm, the heady combination of slick, 1970s-inspired interiors and sensational, Italian-leaning food has been delighting diners and critics alike. Town opened on Drury Lane in the spring and, in November, Motorino swung into action in Fitzrovia.
Town was brought to life by North End Interiors, creating a slick, high-gloss aesthetic. Parle linked up with Lita chef Luke Ahearne to open Motorino, which is similar in style to Town and uses the same interior design studio: think round curves, ’70s timber piling, and a private dining room open to view, similar in feel to a recording studio. Parle, who hails from The River Café, Moro, and Petersham Nurseries, knew North End Interiors was the perfect company to action the space, which has caused as much of a stir as the food itself at both restaurants. “I knew they would get all the operational things right, like the angles of the banquette seating, and we worked closely together on the aesthetics, identifying a limited materials palette but with warmth,” he tells me. “I wanted a minimalist vibe but something bold. Motorino is similar to Town but with different colours and materials. We’re trying to make a space that feels quite vibey and exciting.” The food, in both restaurants, has been receiving rave reviews with good reason.
“The food at Town is quite hard to pigeonhole because of the way we cook food from all over with whatever feels tasty, using the ingredients we have. It’s all about keeping it simple and not making it too ‘cheffy,’ he tells me. “Motorino is, again, slightly different because we’re working with Luke Ahearne; he is a fantastic chef, and we wanted to bring a new look and feel to Italian cooking.” Parle “spent a lot of time cooking and thinking about regional Italian food in a slightly intellectual way, but this isn’t that. We didn’t want a kind of anthropological study of Italian cooking at Motorino, and a lot of what I know about Italian food is fake anyway. These recipes, which they think are sacred and have been passed down from generation to generation, like pesto or carbonara, are only about 60 years old. So, we kind of threw that out and decided to do something a bit new. We wanted to do “London Italian” food with its own feel. We’ve still got primi, secondi, and antipasti, but we’re not constrained by authenticity. We’re probably going to upset some Italians, then I’m okay with that.” The restaurants offer menus that feature saffron and bone marrow risotto, carbonara agnolotti, and chargrilled hispi cabbage with pickles, seeds, and Hodmedod lentils, which will thrill even the most carnivorous of diners.
Opening two restaurants in the space of five months is no mean feat, and when we speak, Stevie Parle is pretty knackered. And yet, the results have been nothing short of rewarding and, for now, he just “wants to focus on working on these two and enjoying them.” When he is off and has time to travel, it is Rome that pulls him time and again, unsurprisingly given the Italian veins that run throughout all his restaurants. He opened Dock Kitchen with Tom Dixon when he was just 24 and then Palatino in Clerkenwell and Pastaio, just off Carnaby Street. All clearly demonstrate his love for Italian food, and it is Rome that he returns to time and again. “I think you can get some of the best food in Italy there,” he tells me, but you’ve got to know where to go. And it’s almost more than that because you need to know what dish to have in what restaurant. In Italy, in my experience, you rarely find somewhere that is good all-round. You might have the most unbelievable pasta, but then you’ll ask for a salad and get a bit of grated carrot. Or you’ll have a fantastic chop and then dessert will be something out of a packet. So, you do have to know where to go, but some of my very favourite dishes come from Rome. I love carbonara and cacio e pepe and amatriciana and I like all the offal.” He is great friends with Katie Parla, who organises infamous walking tours of the Eternal City and writes about Rome's food. He credits her with introducing him to some of his favourite restaurants in the city, and with that, here are Stevie’s four favourite Roman eateries.
Roscioli Salumeria
I have been eating here for years, and it never slips. The Roscioli brothers really shaped so much of what modern Roman food looks like, and it shows in every corner. There are shelves stacked with cheese, cured meats, weird tins and jars that you suddenly think you need. It is always busy and slightly chaotic, but in a nice way. Their carbonara is still my reference point; I judge every other one against it. Most fall short. The wine list is vast, but the staff actually know it and like talking about it. I always leave feeling like I have eaten something that only Romans can do. Also, the pastry place a few doors away is theirs too, so you can basically live inside Roscioli for a whole day, which I have definitely done.
Address: Via dei Giubbonari, 21, 00186 Rome, Italy
Website: salumeriaroscioli.com
Pizzarium Bonci
If I want pizza standing up with a bit of chaos thrown in, then this is it. Bonci is a dough genius, no question. The base has flavour before anything even goes on top. The toppings change all the time. Sometimes I have no idea what I’m looking at, but it is always great. The potato and rosemary pizza is the one I always go back to. It is not fancy: you grab your slices, lean on the wall outside and eat. Half the time, I order too much and end up finishing it anyway. It feels like proper city eating – fast, loud and delicious.
Address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Rome, Italy
Armando al Pantheon
Everyone describes this as an “old school trattoria”, but this is a bit more polished than that sounds. It is almost elegant. And it’s right by the Pantheon yet still full of regulars, which tells you a lot. The cacio e pepe is perfect, maybe the most balanced one in the city, and the amatriciana is rich but not heavy. The service is proper but still warm. I have had some great long lunches here, a glass of wine too many and walked out into the sun feeling very pleased with myself. They seem to have real respect for what Roman cooking is. I would recommend you book ahead of time if possible.
Address: Salita de' Crescenzi, 31, 00186 Rome, Italy
Website: armandoalpantheon.it
Da Cesare
Da Cesare's Casaletto location is the classic one and, honestly, a benchmark for Roman trattoria cooking. The other one is at Pellegrino, which brings you into the centre and is very useful when you cannot be bothered to leave town. Their pasta is always spot on and not messed around with. The fritti are famous and for good reason, because they come out crisp and they are very addictive. The last time I was at Pellegrino, I had a sweetbread pasta that I am still thinking about, which probably tells you enough. Their prices make sense, and the portion sizes are very generous. Casaletto has more of a neighbourhood, Sunday lunch vibe, while Pellegrino works when you want the same thing but faster.
Address: Via del Casaletto, 45, 00151 Rome, Italy