Stevie Parle to open pasta restaurant Pastaio
The chef has secured half of the former Alan Yau restaurant unit near Soho’s Kingly Court to launch a 70-cover concept focused on fresh pasta.
It will be the sixth London restaurant for Parle, who opened Dock Kitchen in 2009 at the age of 24 and is also is behind Italian restaurants Rotorino and Palatino, as well as Craft London and Sardine.
Pastaio will serve pasta dishes priced from £7-£11, including potato and gravy ravioli; grouse, rabbit and pork agnoli; and long fusilli with crab, courgette, yellow tomato and majoram.
There will also be a selection of smaller antipasti dishes to graze on, such as a fried mozzarella sandiwch; and anchovy-stuffed pepperoncini.
Drinks will range from prosecco and Aperol slushies (£4) to Italian wines, cocktails and beers.
Parle learned the art of pasta making while cooking under Ruth Rogers at London's River Cafe restaurant, and says he has been 'obsessed' ever since.
"The kneading, resting, shaping, rolling, stuffing and drying of fresh pasta is a skill that takes time and dedication to develop," says Parle.
"Over the last few years at Rotorino and Palatino we’ve managed to make fresh pasta consistently and fast and I’m super excited to bring this, affordable handmade pasta to Soho."
The chef has partnered with Tom Dixon's Design Research Studio to create a site that feels like being 'on holiday in Bologna'.
The launch follows the success of fresh pasta restaurant Padella in London’s Borough Market, which opened in 2016 and was named the 39th best restaurant in the UK at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards this year.
Cha Cha Moon was originally launched by Yau in 2008 but was put on the market by Kuwait-based Kout Food Group (KFG) in 2016.
BigHospitality’s sister site MCA reported in July that West End landlord Shaftesbury was reconfiguring the Cha Cha Moon site to create two new restaurants, with Stoke Newington's Good Egg rumoured to be in talks to take on the other unit.
Parle is also rumoured to be lining up an opening at the Coal Drops Yard building in King’s Cross in partnership with Dixon, who also worked with the chef on Craft London.
This story was updated on 22/08/17
