What: The second London restaurant for Shoreditch-based pasta specialist Officina 00, which has opened on Whitfield Street in Fitzrovia. As with the group's first site, Officina 00 Fitzrovia focuses on regionally-inspired small plates and creative pasta dishes influenced by the cooking traditions of Naples.
Who: Officina 00 was founded by friends Enzo Mirto and Elia Sebregondi, who launched their first restaurant under the brand on Old Street in Shoreditch in 2019. The pair grew up together in Naples and eventually relocated to London where Mirto went on to work as restaurant manager for London restaurant Roka; and then general manager at Ella Canta in the InterContinental London Park Lane. Sebregondi, meanwhile, previously worked as sous chef at Kiln, having previously working across the Bone Daddies estate as a head chef.
The food: As with the Shoreditch site, all pasta served at Officina 00 Fitzrovia is made in-house daily on a spianatoia - a traditional wooden work-bench said to absorb the humidity of the pasta, giving a unique texture that helps sauces to stick. The menu follows the style of many other new wave London pasta restaurants, beginning with a series of small plates followed by a selection of pasta mains. Dishes include the group's 'signature' occhi pasta filled with lamb shank genovese, sour parsley and aged provolone; and corzetti with wild mushrooms, house pork sausage, parsley and port. The larger kitchen has allowed head chef Sebregondi to bring in a smoker, fryer and grill, which has allowed him to broaden the small plates offering. New dishes include sourdough bread with truffle parmigiano butter; king oyster mushroom, caprino, crostini and young sunflower; spicy octopus with crispy saffron rice; and confit tomato tartare with burrata, caperberries and rocket. Prices for starters primarily hover around the £10 mark, while pasta dishes range from £14 to £17.
The drink: All wines served at Officina 00 are sourced from Italy, including those sold on tap, with bottles typically pitched between the £30 and £40 mark. There's also a range of local London beers, as well as a selection of house cocktails that reference Italian classics and include a limoncello martini (£9.50); and an Italo-inspired margarita with tequila, amaretto, triple sec and lime juice (£9.50).
The vibe: The restaurant's interior is described as an 'elevation' of it's Shoreditch sibling with surfaces rendered in steel and wood, but maintains the brand's signature colour palate of bottle green and charcoal. It's a smart and trendy design with low lighting and an open kitchen with bar seating available alongside the tables in the main dining area.
And another thing: The name Officina 00 is described as 'summing up the pillars' of Mirto and Sebregondi's food philosophy: officina is Italian for ‘workshop’ or ‘lab’; and 00 (double-zero) is the grade of flour traditionally used to make pasta.
67 Whitfield St, London, W1T 4DE