Theo James and his restaurant crew are opening a second restaurant, Ornella, in Hackney

Having loved a barnstorming success with their first restaurant, LUPA, in Highbury, the staff behind that are gearing up for a second opening. Actor Theo James, restaurateur Ed Templeton and chef Naz Hassan are getting the band again collectively to strive their luck in Hackney subsequent.

They’ve settled on Wilton Way, the place they’ve taken over the location that was once Fran’s for his or her new restaurant, Ornella. That’s making the street a little bit of a scorching spot in the intervening time, with Teal by Sally Abé having solely simply opened a few doorways down. 

As with LUPA, Ornella can be an Italian restaurant, however this time they’re heading north of Rome to Milan for culinary affect. That makes much more sense when you recognize that Naz grew up in Milan.

“We could have done a second Lupa, and maybe we will one day, but we wanted to do something even more ambitious here,” explains Ed. “We can’t wait to see how Naz and his sous chef Sandro channel their talent into another iconic city with another very strong culinary identity.”

While LUPA could be very a lot a neighbourhood spot, Ornella will channel the extra formal ristorante of Milan. Obviously, there’s going be risotto alla Milanese, together with vitello tonnato and tagliatelle al burro e Parmigiano and they’re promising the Italian tackle trifle, Zuppa Ingelese, for dessert.

This new Hackney restaurant can be virtually double the scale of their first place, with more room on the pavement terrace when the climate permits. So in the event you’re on the lookout for someplace new to sip a cocktail or toy with a plate of pasta come the summer season, this appears a scorching prospect.