Angelina is, without doubt, one of the best restaurants in Dalston.
Which is why the imminent arrival of its new sister restaurant – Osteria Angelina – is, frankly, the very best of news.
You’ll find it in Norton Folgate – which is not a Charles Dickens character, but rather a freshly redeveloped pocket of Spitalfields – where Angelina’s team are about to cut the ribbon on a pasta & grill spot that continues their signature Italian-meets-Japanese (Itameshi) style. The result? A menu of distinctive, deftly-judged fusion dishes that are very much worth your attention.
And Nudge Members (+1) are getting a pair of exclusive previews at Osteria Angelina on 17th & 18th May, with 50% off food.
What to expect from the new opening? In short; a whole lot of good stuff. And in slightly more detail? Well, it’s going to look fantastic for starters (or rather, before we even get to the starters): the restaurant will be housed in a renovated Victorian warehouse, replete with all its original features, and a dramatic 4-metre-high ceiling. And as for the food? Well, the cooking is being overseen by Osteria Angelina’s executive chef Usman Haider, who cut his teeth in kitchens in Leeds before establishing himself as an invaluable part of team Angelina’s kitchen, where he’s been for the last five years. Together with founder Josh Owens-Baigler, he’s put together a blinder of a menu.
There’ll be antipasti and sashimi-esque crudi. There’ll be a regularly changing menu of eight fresh pastas, cooked with a Japanese twist (“It’s actually known as ‘wafu pasta’” you can murmur knowledgably, as you sit down to eat). There’ll be an open kitchen with signature Japanese Binchotan fired grills at its heart, serving up immense sharing grill cuts of meat and whole fish. And then there’ll be a wide range of fresh crudo dishes like bluefin tuna, chu-toro, ponzu & rhubarb and hamachi sashimi with truffle soy and urikake (dried seaweed, sesame seeds, salt seasoning).
You can expect to wash that down with one of a selection of over 300 Italian wines, and/or something from their plentiful sake offering. There’s a Italian-Japanese inspired cocktail list, too, plus a range of spirits – including, appropriately enough, a selection of grappas and Japanese whiskies.
Wherever Norton Folgate is (and again, to be clear, it’s on the edge of Spitalfields, next to Shoreditch and the City), making the trip there at the end of April seems certain to be worthwhile. The team behind Osteria Angelina seems set to replicate the magic of Angelina V1, because they know exactly what they’re doing – absolutely nowhere in London is delivering a more exciting combination of Japanese and Italian cooking. Umami mia.
NOTE: Osteria Angelina opens to the public in mid-May. You can find out the latest information on Angelina’s website.
PERK: Nudge Members +1 are getting a pair of exclusive previews on 17th & 18th May with 50% off food.
Osteria Angelina | 1 Nicholls & Clarke Yard, E1 6SH, off Blossom Street, E1 6SH
Looking for somewhere to dine, like now? Check out the hottest new restaurants in London.
