The trio behind Highbury restaurant Lupa – restaurateur Ed Templeton, chef Naz Hassan and actor Theo James – have followed it up just nine months later by opening Ornella in Hackney’s Wilton Way.
While the menu at Lupa is inspired by Rome, Ornella takes its culinary cues from Milan – where Naz grew up – and its name from the Milanese singer/songwriter Ornella Vanoni, who died last year at the age of 91.
Ed, who also runs Carousel in Fitzrovia, says the second edition has followed ahead of schedule partly because sites of this quality – the venue was previously an all-day caff called Fran’s – do not come around too often.
“We could have done a second Lupa and maybe we will one day, but we wanted to do something even more ambitious here. 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.”
Ornella is twice the size of Lupa with a large pavement terrace, and is more formal in the Milanese style, with a menu that includes risotto alla Milanese, vitello tonnato and tagliatelle al burro e Parmigiano along with zuppa Ingelese.