Ordinarily, Mortimer House is a private members club.
But for their new Italian restaurant concept they’ve lifted the velvet rope and decided to make the only membership requirement an appetite.
The place has a nice, non-cryptic name – Mortimer House Kitchen – and is the domain of award-winning chef Tom Cenci, whose CV is absolutely littered with great eateries (Noble Rot, Duck & Waffle, etc), and who impressed a lot of people with his latest Soho restaurant, Nessa.
Here, he’s moving into the venue’s elegant ground floor space, which is basically an Instagrammer’s daydream thanks to its gorgeous Art Deco fittings and mid-century furnishings, the most striking of which are probably the star-shaped lampshades that dangle from the ceiling, exuding a warm glow that matches up with the sun pouring in from the restaurant’s large windows. It’s all flanked by a long bar, and at the back of the space there’s an open kitchen, which is a hive of activity, constantly busting with poised & polished chefs.
Speaking of which, the menu is basically a parade of simple & seasonal Italian dishes, which is basically Cenci’s M.O. at this point. You can get the likes of carne cruda with n’duja & bruschetta (which is basically like an Italian tartare), or a chicken parmigiana with marinara sauce (and fresh spaghetti with cured egg yolk on the side) – but the standouts are the wild mushroom ravioli which comes dressed in simple sage & hazelnut, and the Torta 900, which is a traditional chocolate cake sandwich thing filled with with a silky chocolate & hazelnut mascarpone.
It sort of goes without saying that there are some Italian wines & cocktails to go with all of this, and the list here has been put together by bar manager Massimo Golfetto (formerly of The Standard). He’s supplying the likes of a punchy Timida (St. Germain, La Yuzu, Creme de Rose, Prosecco, lemon) and a refreshing lineup of non-alcoholic cocktails too. Try the No-Loma – it comes with Pentire Seaward, strawberry, grapefruit soda, and lime, and it’s lovely.
Like the sound of all that?
Join the club.
NOTE: Mortimer House Kitchen is open now, seven days a week. You can find out more, and make a booking at the website right here.
Mortimer House | 37 Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 3JH
Want to meet the neighbours? You’re a hop and a skip away from Charlotte Street…