Alan Yau’s Mozzarella Katsu Sando Will Take Its Final Form in South Kensington

Alan Yau’s unexpected partnership with mozzarella specialist Obica now has its final form: a katsu sando shop called Mozzasando, (MOZZASANDO) to open in South Kensington.

The sandwiches are not wedded to mozzarella, but rather inspired by the veal Milanese, a breaded veal escalope served with little more than a drenching of lemon juice. Yau credits the idea to conversations with the late Soho sandwich proprietor Frank Salvoni, a combination of wistful nostalgia and surprisingly specific business concerns:

I always wondered in the soul searching moments for that golden goose whether Frank’s milanese could become the new champion for a mono product Italian fast food concept.

Salvoni is said to have railed against Pret a Manger’s appropriation of his prawn mayo sandwich, smug in the knowledge that the sandwich giant had missed out on the potential of his Milanese, ensconced in a “baguette, foccacia, or ciabatta ... that’s the f***ing vindaloo.”

Yau’s Milanese, either the traditional veal or a breaded chicken cutlet, will emulate the panko-crusted tonkatsu or torikatsu, adding mozzarella, per the name of the restaurant. Fries to accompany, either as is or with a beef ragù and n’duja sauce; espresso martinis on tap; a sleek, red-stooled bar, at 96 Draycott Avenue, to open 20 January 2020. It will add to Yau’s planned restaurants for 2020, a flagship restaurant near Docklands that he describes as “a Chinese River Cafe,” and a smaller Japanese grill at the same development.

More soon.