Just months after opening Covent Garden’s buzzy Town, chef-restaurateur Stevie Parle has unveiled his second new restaurant of the year: Motorino, a sprawling 150-cover “London Italian” on Pearson Square in Fitzrovia. He’s joined by Luke Ahearne, former head chef at the Michelin-starred Lita. Together they are creating what they say is a joyful, produce-led take on Italian cuisine, rooted in how Londoners eat now.
“It’s not an intellectual project on regional cuisine,” says Parle. “Most of what people think is traditional isn’t. Carbonara is from the ’40s; pesto’s not ancient either – we’re cooking the way people actually eat here today.” Ahearne agrees. “We both love Italian food, but we’re not trying to recreate classics. It’s about making it our own.”
The mid-century-style space trades Town’s bright, glassy aesthetic for sultry, Mad Men charm. The fit-out is by North End Design, the same team behind Parle’s Covent Garden restaurant. It features a glossy, sunshine-yellow kitchen and traffic light-inspired red, amber and green wall sconces, as well as illustrations of automobiles – a nod to the restaurant’s name, which means “moped” in Italian. “Town’s a bit of a fish tank,” Parle says. “This one feels more lived-in – more festive.” There’s a marble-topped bar up front with just two stools for a quick Martini or a “charger”, one of Parle’s low-ABV spritzes that have become a house signature. The space opens onto a lively dining room lined with art by Harland Miller, Peter Blake and other friends.
The menu is uncomplicated: snacks and salads lead to pastas, grills and larger plates that can be shared or enjoyed solo. There’s chopped Dexter beef with porcini ketchup, fermented green chilli and shoestring fries; roasted pumpkin with stracciatella and caramelised Piedmont hazelnuts; and old-spot pork chop with mustard fruits and jus. Parle’s “least authentic” carbonara, made with the traditional egg yolks and guanciale, but with agnolotti in place of spaghetti, sums up the Motorino spirit. “We’re not fussed about being authentic,” he says. “It’s about simplicity, flavour and joy.” Desserts include lemon meringue pie, and tiramisu spiked with whisky in a wink to Ahearne’s Irish roots.
Drinks are by Satan’s Whiskers owner Kevin Armstrong, who also runs the bar at Town. Alongside the chargers are ice-cold direct-serve Martinis and three types of Negroni, including one garnished with a string of olives. “Kev’s a genius,” Parle says. “Sometimes you see an idea – like putting the olive in the Negroni instead of beside it – and wonder why everyone isn’t doing it.”
The wine list by Merlin Ramos – head of wine at Town and ex-Kioku by Endo – balances Italian structure with a London sensibility. Expect aged barolos and Sicilian whites alongside carefully chosen low-intervention bottles that pass one simple test: they must taste “clean”. “We’re not anti-natural,” Parle says. “But nothing that smells like cider or manure. Delicious wines only.” A Mascarello freisa offered by the glass and other rarely poured Italian vintages add depth for those who want to explore.
A stone’s throw from Oxford Street on the edge of Fitzrovia, Motorino is more for those in the know than Parle’s other spots. Though that might just be the point. He describes Fitzrovia as “creative, professional, very London”. It’s a different crowd to Covent Garden and Soho, which is home to Parle’s casual pasta diner Pastaio.
“Town attracts people from everywhere,” he says, “but here it’s more Londoners – people who work and live around Fitzrovia.
“I’m really into the area. It’s cool. It’s got that mix of old-school and creative energy.”
Motorino
1 Pearson Square, W1T 3BF
020 3500 4221
Hours:
Mon to Sat midday–midnight
