Enoteca Turi is an independent, authentic Italian restaurant in London, founded in 1990 and surrounded by chain restaurants. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, The Staff Canteen spoke to owner Giuseppe Turi about why the restaurant has been so successful for so long and what to expect on their anniversary menu.
Giuseppe grew up in Puglia, Italy, and moved to London in 1982, starting work at the Athenaeum Hotel and then the Connaught Hotel as a sommelier, where he first learnt about food and wine and the chemistry between them.
He then returned to the Athenaeum as restaurant manager, before deciding to open his own place.
He said: “Coming from Italy there was a willingness in me to explore the Italian cuisine and explore those tastes that you find in Italy. I wanted a place where I could express my feelings about Italian food and showcase the best that Italy can produce.
“It was about exploring more and learning more, in my own playground where I am in charge. I had this passion to explore more about Italian food and wine. It was an adventure for me, I had enough knowledge to have my own take on the world and express what Italy had to offer.”
Giuseppe found the hardest part about opening
Enoteca Turi was finding a chef who was prepared to follow his idea of food.
“Most Italian restaurants at the time were very much of the stereotype, to produce food to a formula,” explained Giuseppe. “To find someone with the technical skill and ability to take me through this idea I had in my mind about Italian food was very difficult.”
On why he thinks the restaurant has been so successful for so long, Giuseppe said: “Well there is a lot of luck in it, but my wife and I make a good team. I have the vision, the drive and the knowledge of the restaurant side of things, and she is has the ability to think through things, to work and keep the business on track, keep my feet on the ground.
“I think part of the reason we’ve been successful is because I’ve never felt happy with it. Whatever I have done, there was always more I could achieve, so there was that constant search for improvement and to always be the best I could be.”
Enoteca Turi specialises in authentic regional dishes, using traditional, seasonal ingredients with the menu organised by the native region of each dish, from north to south.
Giuseppe said: “We don’t want to lose the heart and soul of the taste of the regional cuisine but at the same time we want to make it our own expression, every chef that has been here has expressed their personality.
“The idea is always to keep the identity of the region, to be truthful to that heritage, never over refined, never over elaborate. The important thing is to preserve the flavour and highlight the essence of the taste.”
Giuseppe recently hired Michele Blasi as head chef. Michele started his career in 1985 working in 5 star hotels in Northern Italy, before working with Claudio Sadler at Sadler’s Restaurant, and later starting up Sadler Banqueting in partnership with Claudio.
Giuseppe
