Paulo de Tarso and Nicolas Jaouën to open Margot restaurant summer 2016
Morelli, until recently chef-patron of London's Italian restaurant Latium, has created an authentically Italian menu which includes 'delicate, yet flavourful, dishes' inspired by his childhood and his work in the kitchens of some of Italy's most famous restaurants, such as The Hassler in Rome and Stefano Cavallini at The Halkin.
Dishes on the menu include Taglioni with crab meat and purple aubergine and risotto alla Milanese while a range of carpaccio and tartare dishes, salads and meat and fish main courses will also feature.
Customers will also be able to choose portion sizes for each dish which de Tarso and Jaouën said would help create a 'relaxed and flexible dining experience'.
Work has also started on the 100-cover restaurant's design. Fabled Studio, the company which designed Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, is creating a 'welcoming and luxurious' look for the restaurant with 'a palette of deep blues and pale marble with copper accents'.
De Tarso, who left Bar Boulud in January after six years to set up his own restaurant, said: “Our dream for Margot is that it will be an amazing Italian restaurant, celebrating the country and its many regions. Maurizio’s depth of knowledge and passion for bringing together gorgeous ingredients will bring an incredible authenticity to Margot, which is so important to Nicolas and me."
Friends Jaouën and de Tarso first met when working together at Scott's in Mayfair. The pair have been working on Margot, which is in an undisclosed location in Covent Garden, since Jaouën left his role as general manager at La Petite Maison on 14 February.