Francesco Mazzei’s third restaurant with D&D London kicked off the tour. Inspired by the food of his Southern Italian homeland, Fiume takes its name from the Italian for river and serves rustic dishes made with fresh ingredients from the Med including Grana Padano doughnut with truffle. They mix a great negroni, too.
Next up was Wright Brothers’ latest restaurant. In common with those that came before it, Wright Brothers’ fifth location offers ultra-fresh seafood. The twist at the Battersea site is a charcoal-powered Josper grill that allows the kitchen to serve charred seafood dishes without sacrificing moisture. The 150-cover restaurant is lively and the décor is classic, with an open style kitchen and marble counter that displays the Cornwall-raised oysters on which the company made its name.
Then onto Emma Reynolds and Ken Yamada’s Tonkotsu. The casual noodle chain has been a big success in London and has played a key role in popularising ramen in the capital and beyond (it operates a site in Birmingham now too). Though the eponymous tonkotsu ramen is a highlight, the menu is wide-ranging featuring the likes of gyoza and karaage chicken.
The final stop of the tour was Mother, which is billed as an “utterly Italian restaurant without all the nonsense”. The restaurant started life in Copenhagen’s trendy Meatpacking District and is focused on unconventionally-topped sourdough pizza and imports many of its ingredients from Italy.
