Aurelia will serve a combination of Mediterranean dishes, with the menu inspired from food in Italy, France and Spain.
Located on the Cork Street site of Mullingan’s of Mayfair, the new site is due to open in mid-July this year.
Restaurateur Giuliano Lotto will co-own Aurelia together with the Waney family, who are behind the restaurant businesses Zuma, Roka, La Petite Maison, and Il Baretto.
Mediterranean sharing plates
The concept for their new venture is a tapas-style menu that is more broadly Mediterranean than the traditional Spanish.
“The menus will follow the old Roman route (Via Aurelia) from Rome through to Valencia in Spain. Culinary influences, therefore, will come from Italy, France and Spain, all with a Mediterranean flavour, and the menu format will be sharing plates and small portions,” say the owners.
Aurelia’s 200-strong wine list will feature wines from the same countries as well as certain selections from South America.
The 130-cover site will cover the ground floor and lower level, and includes a bar area near the entrance.
New Italian brand
The owners currently have no plans to roll out Aurelia as a multiple-site brand, although they do plan to open a second restaurant later in the year under a different name.
Banca, also to be located in Mayfair, will be an Italian restaurant featuring food “as cooked and appreciated by Italians”.
Situated at 30 North Audley Street, the site is a former NatWest bank and will seat around 120 customers. An opening date is slated for September 2011.