Ex-Noma and Gordon Ramsay Chef to Open New Mayfair Restaurant

Pucci — a new “relaxed addition to the Mayfair dining scene” led by ex-Noma and Gordon Ramsay Group chef Tilly Turbett — will open on Maddox in mid-November.

Information sent to Eater London states that the restaurant “will serve a vibrant modern menu of small plates showcasing flavours from across the Mediterranean.” It will do so alongside thin, crisp-based pizzas the like of which were served at the now-closed King’s Road restaurant Pucci Pizza, which opened in Chelsea in the 1970s. Founder Pucci Albanese’s son, Rufus, is a partner in the restaurant and will join Turbett as front of house.

The menu will be influenced by the countries surrounding the Mediterranean — specifically Italy, Turkey, and Lebanon. In addition to those storied pizzas, dishes will be small and designed to be shared, mezze-style.

Dishes, shared with Eater, which are expected to feature on the opening menu include: Glazed Barbary duck breast with pomegranate molasses and sweet potato; wild sea bass crudo with chilli, melon and lime oil; and baklava millefeuille with honey cream, pistachio and rose.

Elsewhere, “signature vegetarian” dishes will include the likes of Delica pumpkin with honey, sesame, goats curd, and Aleppo pepper; harissa-charred cauliflower with green tahini and pomegranate; and grilled radicchio with parmesan and bottarga.

The pizzas will revive the same recipe Pucci Albanese used when the likes of Rod Stewart, Bryan Ferry, and a host of Italian footballers would dine at the Chelsea hotspot — at a time when pizza in London was altogether more novel than it is in 2018. “The Pucci” is topped with Fresh tomato, buffalo mozzarella, Parma ham, rocket, and parmesan. Wines will almost all be from Italian regions.

The décor, whether or not on purpose, appears nostalgic for the late 1990s and early noughties; the announcement states that it will combine the “cool exposed brick, considered light fittings and suspended greenery of a New York loft, with the charm of a traditional Italian bistro.” The entrance on Maddox Street will also feature an outdoor street-side terrace for alfresco dining, or aperitivo.

Pucci Mayfair will open for lunch, dinner, and late night “refreshments,” from mid-November.

More soon.