When restaurateur Stevie Thomas (co-founder of the now-closed Rum Kitchen) considered opening a new restaurant in Hackney, he decided he would only do it if he found the right chef to bring his idea to life. “I saw that Francesco Sarvonio had a residency at Naughty Piglets in Brixton, and as soon as we met in person and I tried his pasta I just knew he was perfect to curate the kitchen,” Thomas tells Broadsheet.
The result is Elephant, a gently lit Italian restaurant and cocktail bar that opened inside a revived Victorian pub just off Mare Street a few months ago. Inside, a 25-year-old stained glass skylight salvaged from a former East End cinema floods the room with natural light. “As soon as I walked into the site I fell in love with the ceiling,” Sarvonio says. “You can feel the heritage and old stories seeping from the walls. I just knew I had to give life back to the venue and help open the next chapter of its history.”
Sarvonio, who previously cooked at Manteca, Oranj and Naughty Piglets, calls Elephant a mix of “constructed chaos” and “casual fine dining”. “I want us to bring back the group dinner,” Sarvonio says. “It’s incredibly expensive to dine out in London – the rise of the small plates trend has been fantastic for the city but it has left us all so hungry. I want guests to leave our restaurant full without their pockets being burnt.” And he’s not afraid to put his money where his mouth is. “We’re proud of our £8 classic cocktails, and we even offer a second portion of pasta, on us, for free.”
Sarvonio wants the experience to feel more like a family gathering than a restaurant. “I want people to feel as if they are joining an incredibly fun family gathering, with eccentric long-lost uncles and dishes of grandma’s secret recipes. I want guests to feel as if they have fallen headfirst into a Wes Anderson film set and are now a part of the main script.”
The menu merges Sarvonio’s Neapolitan background with London influences. “It’s inspired by the food I used to have during my childhood, blending my experiences with new techniques to create a menu that speaks Neapolitan but in a modern key,” he says. Produce comes from trusted Italian suppliers: “We work with La Sovrana, which imports veg and fruit from all over Italy, and Cibo for all the most amazing cold cuts, cheese, etcetera. Only the best.”
Hearty dishes include ox cheek croquettes, tomato and basil paccheri, squid skewers, and Sarvonio’s own favourites. “Definitely the beef genovese and diavola.” Pizzas are a focus, too, with options like the Elephant Marinara with anchovy, caper leaves and confit garlic, and the La Squisita with pancetta giovanna and squacquerone (a soft, creamy cheese from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region).
The response has been encouraging. “Everyone who has dined with us has fallen in love with Francesco’s food,” Thomas says. “We have had a great response from locals too, they are happy to see the venue back in action and said how much they appreciate the exterior being cleaned up,” Sarvonio says.
For now, the pair is focused on consistency and community. “We want to keep consistent so that customers know the experience they will be having each and every time,” says Sarvonio. “We will start to introduce Friday night entertainment with local DJs for the late-night cocktail crowd, plus live music on Sundays.”
Elephant
43 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NS
Hours:
Wed & Thu 5pm–midnight
Fri to Sun midday–3pm, 5pm–midnight
