There’s fast food, there’s slow food, and then there’s the ritualistic art of risotto.
It’s truly the Rolls Rice of Italian dishes, and it’s the focus of the new restaurant about to cut the ribbon in Fitzrovia: all’onda.
You’ll find it when it opens this May on the dining Mecca that is Charlotte Street where, thanks to a head chef whose CV is practically littered with Michelin Stars, it’ll aim to set an entirely new standard for just how good risotto can be, and do it in a refined & elegant setting, too. And Nudge Members (+1) will find out for themselves, with a three-week exclusive secret soft launch period with 40% off the food bill from 4th May to 23rd May for lunch & dinner.
The place itself is the passion project from restaurateur Cordula Schulz. Here, she’s put together an inviting space with room for roughly 40 diners, filled out with warm wood tones and coffee coloured leather seating, all of which is designed to give off a distinct air of understated luxury. And by the looks of things, it’s going to do precisely that.
To marshal the kitchen, she’s recruited one of the best head chefs she could have hoped for: Andrea Granzarolo has spent his career at places like The Greenhouse (two Michelin Stars) and Helene Darroze at the Connaught (three Michelin Stars), as well as actually having been born & raised in Lombardy itself, which is without a doubt the spiritual home of risotto itself.
Everything will revolve around the treasured rice, of course, and on the opening menu you can expect platefuls of spring green risotto primavera; squid ink risotto; and some classic risotto alla Milanese, as well as a few slightly more offbeat combos like sweetbread, artichoke and black lemon, as well as pumpkin & shiso; and seaweed, bottarga & white asparagus later on this year.
The non-risotto parts of the menu will include starters such as red bream crudo with fennel, radish, citrus & yuzu kosho; as well as and beef ‘tartaccio’ (which is a tartare-carpaccio mashup) with smoked soy. And there’ll always be a trio of non-risotto mains too, opening with the likes of roasted pigeon with carrot, fig, tamarind, or some Cornish turbot with verbena, matcha & green asparagus. And to finish? How about a tarte tatin or chocolate mousse.
The front of house will be taken care of by general manager Marco Montalbano (formerly of Muse by Tom Aikens), and you can expect a raft of Italian wine to go with it all. Oh, and the name? It’s an Italian phrase meaning ‘on the wave,’ referring to a risotto-making technique where rice is artfully tossed in the pan, creating a smooth, flowing texture that mimics the motion of waves.
So, dive in and let the flavours wash over you.
NOTE: all’onda is set to open on May 2nd. You can find out more, and make a booking at the website right here. Nudge Members (+1) are getting a three-week exclusive secret soft launch period with 40% off the food bill from 4th May to 23rd May for lunch and dinner. To find out how to book, just check the Members’ Box at the top of this page.
Not yet a Nudge Member? Start a free trial here.
all’onda | 67 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 4PH
There’s more where this came from. Check out the risotto at London’s best Italian restaurants…