Fiume will pay homage to the eight regions of Mezzogiorno, the southern ‘boot’ of Italy - including the chef’s Calabrian homeland in the ‘toe’ - when it launches at the £9bn riverside project.
it will be Mazzei’s third collaboration with D&D London in the last two years, after the chef relaunched Sartoria in Savile Row in 2015 and opened Radici in Islington in May.
The restaurant will offer lunch and dinner with dishes including handmade burrata tortellini with hazelnuts and sage; and beef tagliata; while Mazzei is also bringing his signature zucchini fritti and tiramisu south of the river.
There will also be an Italian take on weekend brunch with hangover cures such as eggs purgatorio (in a fiery tomato sauce), and frittatas.
Though it’s currently a bit cold to dine by the Thames, there are plans to fill Fiume’s al-fresco terrace with lemon and olive trees and pots of rosemary and lavender in the summer months in a bid to bring the Mediterranean to south London.
Mazzei will oversee the restaurant as chef patron, while head chef Francesco Chiarelli – who worked with Mazzei at L’Anima and Sartoria - will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the kitchen.
Fiume – which means river in Italian – is opening as part of the first commercial phase of the Battersea Power Station development, alongside Wright Brothers, Danish pizza group Mother, burgers and brunch specialist Ben’s Canteen and Duckroad, a sister site to Soho’s Ducksoup.