Stevie Parle is set to open a new Italian restaurant, Motorino
Opening one critically acclaimed restaurant is hard. Opening two? Stevie Parle is in the midst of finding out.
When Town opened on an unloved corner of Drury Lane near Covent Garden earlier this year, the reviews were as universally glowing as one could imagine: five stars across the board. It has already taken up a seemingly permanent position near the top o London’s restaurant tree.
Stevie Parle, the chef-restauranteur behind Town, would be entitled to rest on his laurels. He has decided against - and will open a “big London Italian” in Fitzrovia next month.
Parle will be assisted in this new venture by his head chef: none other than Luke Ahearne, who was in the kitchen to open Lita in March 2024 and led it to a Michelin star less than a year later. His is an eye-catching addition to what, bearing in mind the runway success of Town, is already going to be the most anticipated opening of a London restaurant this year.
Two hours before I meet Parle and Ahearne in what amounts to a well-ordered building site, however, Parle is yet to decide on what it’s going to be called.
“I need a dealing,” Parle laughs when he explain the creative process behind naming a restaurant. “This interview was the deadline.” Somewhere int eh intervening two hours, a name has been finalised: Motorino.
“It’s got the energy behind it, drive to it.” Parle will resist the temptation to install a Vespa to make a point. Instead, the decor will nod to Town; the kitchen at Motorino will have the same open oval set-up, this time in gloss yellow rather than a herby green, and windows will open out to the rest of the Pearson Square development as well as the stunning, restored Fitzrovia Chapel, which sits at the heart of what used to be the Middlesex Hospital.
The obvious difference to town is that Motorino is a much bigger space, giving more room to the bar - which will again be led by cocktail supremo Kevin Armstrong of Satan’s Whiskers fame - private dining if required and an open pasta bench. It was the size, of around 140 covers, that persuaded Parle to push ahead with the new site.
“Sometimes there’s a site so compelling that the fact that it’s a few months too early is completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of life and the restaurant. I like the scale of it. I like the feel of the room. It already had a fantastic kitchen, which is a big plus when you’re trying to open a restaurant in a difficult climate, and I like the location. I think Fitzrovia is having a bit of a moment right now, just walking around, I feel like the crowd in Fitzrovia has changed a bit. A lot of people that used to be working in Soho are now working in Fitzrovia.”
The concept is a “fantastic London restaurant,” Parle says, who also operates Soho’s Pastaio. “ingredients first, involved in produce, simple and elegant nad great vibes. And we’re trying to make the best Italian food in London.” It will also, we’re told, have an “accessible” price point.
Ahearne, who has known Parle for some time, said they “both respect the same things and have the same values.”
“I really wanted to help create something special, especially in a space like this. It’s going to be such a big space. I think it’s going to complement my style of cooking as well,” he says, having been not shy of offers after leaving Lita. Many of the suppliers will remain the same from Town to Motorino; beef will again be sourced from the sustainable farming operation Wildfarmed.
Parle and Ahearne are getting to the end of their menu development (“t’s great - you get to try a lot” says Ahearne) and are busy hiring. A few staff members from Town will join, at least for the opening period, and Parle is already preparing for his journey darting between two sites - he thinks he’s got it down to 7 minutes.
Is Parle expecting the same reviews? “Five starts, five stars, five starts is great, i’m not going to pretend, but the most important things about the restaurant are the people that work there and the people that come. What I love about seeing people walk into Town is you can see them thinking to themselves, I’m going to have fun here. This isn’t going to be a sort of over-wrought, preachy restaurant. This is a fun place to be, and its’s also delicious, absolutely delicious. Drinks are unbelievable, vibes are immaculate. And we’ve got to do that again.”