‘This is true hospitality’: Former Pied à Terre duo team up for new London opening
Two chefs who previously worked together at Michelin-starred Pied à Terre have teamed up to open Dante London in Islington.
The brand-new offering from Louis Korovilas and Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare is set to open this Friday (August 1).
Dante London showcases a refined European menu deeply rooted in French and Italian culinary traditions.
The inspiration behind the dishes draws heavily from both chefs’ training and the diverse experiences they've gathered throughout their careers in some of the industry’s most respected kitchens, including Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in 2016, Locanda Locatelli and Bancone.
The duo will take up residency in the kitchen every weekend, serving up a tasting style offering in the 27-cover restaurant, running from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, at the Islington Arts Club.
The weekly rotating menu will feature seasonal dishes such as broad bean orzotto with glazed chicken wing; aubergine scarpece, with clam bagna cauda and crispy palourde clams; beef carpaccio with oyster mayonnaise and baby artichokes and; seasonal financiers for dessert.
Their ethos is to use lesser-known breeds and cuts, focusing on breaking down the whole animal rather than ordering pre-prepared parts.
At launch there will be one sitting per evening on Friday and
Saturday, with a more fluid approach on Sundays, with that changing later on in the summer.
Pre-paid tickets and bookings can be made through their website or via email. Those that do pre-pay get an extra secret course on the house - showcasing dishes such as red prawn crudo.
Walk-ins will be offered, but booking is advised due to the intimate setting and small amount of covers available.
Taylor said: “With London being such a cosmopolitan city, there is a constant stream of influence from all over the globe in terms of food, which is what makes the city so exciting.
“We want to make sure you can see this within our food and some of our ingredient choices. We’re trying to bring back the lost staple of hospitality with little details such as complimentary bread selections. Though this is a hit to margins and is labour intensive, it’s a price worth paying on our end. This is true hospitality: it's about giving and that is what we want Dante London to be about.
Louis added: “At the moment the London dining scene is quite formulaic due to the financial climate; restaurants are taking less exciting risks and you can see a lot of similarities in many restaurant menus.
“We’re trying to break away from this on our menu and how we cook."
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‘This is true hospitality’: Former Pied à Terre duo team up for new London opening
