Exmouth Market’s pioneering Moorish restaurant Moro is turning 30 next year – but it’s kicking off celebrations early, by getting a bunch of its impressive alumni back in its kitchen for one-off instalments of its weekly Sunday Lunch Clubs. “We are so lucky to have had many brilliant chefs through our doors,” Sam Clark, who co-owns Moro with her husband Sam Clark, tells Broadsheet. “They are often right at the beginning of their careers, and we pride ourselves on nurturing their talent and it is wonderful to watch these chefs take centre stage in their own restaurants.”
While the regular Sunday Lunch Club menus are built around Moro’s wood-fired oven, which slow-roasts share dishes like Segovian suckling pig and Galician beef, these special takeovers will see former Moro chefs put their own spins on Moro’s menu.
First back on the Moro pans is Bocca di Lupo, Gelupo and Plaquemine Lock chef-restaurateur Jacob Kenedy on June 14. He’ll be putting his signature Italian flourishes on Moro classics: deep-fried courgette flowers with whipped feta and date molasses, and crab “brik” spaghettini with cumin, coriander and harissa. There’ll also be a Gelupo version of Moro’s chocolate and apricot tart. To sip? Italian wines from Bocca di Lupo’s list.
Ollie Templeton is next up, on July 12. The Carousel and Cometa chef and co-owner will be doing a Sunday lunch influenced by Mexico’s coast – think scallop ceviche served in its shell, a tomato tostada with elderberry guajillo and a lobster flauta. Then there’s Ellen Parr of Clapton Chinese-inspired diner Lucky & Joy, whose menu on September 20 might include hand-pulled noodles with Laghman sauce and spiced beef kofta dumplings.
Finally, Padella and Trullo chef and co-founder Tim Siadatan will also look to Italy, with a truffle-heavy menu of pasta.
When Moro opened in 1997, it led the way in London’s Moorish cooking scene – cuisine inspired by the Iberian peninsula, North Africa and the Med. Nigella Lawson celebrated it as to “Spanish food what the River Cafe is to Italian”, and in 2010 spawned tapas bar Morito a few doors down, and another Morito in Hackney in 2016.
“Moro hit London at the right moment in 1997 and has built a loyal following for its distinctive, authentic Moorish cuisine ever since,” says Sam. “Moro feels grown-up without being stiff, energetic without feeling fashionable and offers a sense of belonging which all adds to its unique buzzy atmosphere.”
Bookings for Moro’s Sunday Lunch Club: Alumni Series with Jacob Kenedy on June 14 are now open here. The menu is £75 per person and includes a welcome drink.
