Huge New Two-in-One Restaurant Operation Due to Land in Marylebone

Chef Carlo Scotto, an alumnus of Angela Hartnett, and ex-Babbo chef, will launch his first solo restaurant, Xier, in Marylebone this December. As first reported by Hot Dinners, the style of cuisine will be a “take on modern European with a global influence.”

Xier will be located on Thayer Street which links central London’s principal retail thoroughfare Oxford Street and St Christopher’s Place, with Marylebone High Street. An area with an already unusually high concentration of restaurant businesses.

The restaurant will be split into two distinct spaces: a 62-cover, “accessible” casual dining restaurant on the ground floor, called “XR,” — open both at lunch and dinner. Xier, itself, on the other hand and on the first floor, will only be open in the evening — offering an “ambitious” £90 ten course-tasting menu for 38 guests at a time. Dishes on the tasting menu will include Obsi blue prawns served with wild fennel, wasabi caviar and fresh raspberry or Rose-cured salmon with foie gras, burnt figs, leaf oil and citrus dressing.

Xier [Official Photo]

The more casual, à la carte menu in XR will see main courses, such as Yellowfin tuna tartar with aubergine caviar; garden salad and taro chips; and “classics” such as hanger steak, pickled walnuts, shallots, parsley, and baby aubergine, priced between £15 and £24.

Scotto, a Neapolitan, says his attitude to cooking “comes from a place of respect for produce.” The menu at Xier will draw on organic produce, much of which will be sourced from the Rhug Estate Organic Farm in North Wales.

On the motivation behind Xier, Scotto said in a statement, “It’s always been my ambition to open a restaurant that showcased what I love about food from around the world.

“Since I arrived, London is a place that has brought me incredible opportunities, so it felt right to open here and to showcase fantastic British produce. I’m excited to be opening a venue that will take people on their own culinary journey.”

After having initially learnt how to cook from his grandmother, the chef’s first opportunity in a professional kitchen came at age 13, when he was given a place as an apprentice at the Michelin-starred Don Salvatore, in Naples. He subsequently moved to London, where he worked with restaurant royalty, Corbin & King before joining Michelin-starred Murano, under Angela Hartnett. Although he left Murano to work first at Galvin La Chapelle, and then at Babbo in Mayfair (his first head chef role), he still calls Hartnett his mentor.