Locanda Locatelli and Joanna's alumni to launch Bancone restaurant

Louis Korovilas, who trained under Giorgio Locatelli and also cooked at Pied a Terre, will launch Bancone in Covent Garden in early May.

The restaurant is the brainchild of David Ramsey and William Ellner – who runs the operations at Joanna’s in Crystal Palace, which was launched by his family in 1978.

“I'm thrilled to have Louis on board at Bancone,” says Ellner. “He’s incredibly passionate about Italian food and produce and comes from a prestigious restaurant background.

"Italian food – particularly pasta - is enjoying the limelight in London once again and we can’t wait to open on William IV Street and bring you our modern interpretation of the cuisine.”

Bancone’s dishes are described as ‘crowd-pleasers’, with prices ranging from £6 to £12.

A draft menu includes pappardelle, kid goat & rosemary ragù; lamb neck ravioli. spring vegetables; and tagliolini, clams, seaweed & purslane.

Many of the ragùs on offer will have been cooked and reduced for around 10 hours or more, while seasonal arancini will change on a daily basis.

There will be a wide choice of Italian wines by the glass, championing lesser known vineyards and growers.