TOZI Restaurant & Bar brings cicchetti to London Victoria
The 80-cover venue is the first business venture for former Shoreditch House chef duo Daniele Pampagnin and Maurilio Molteni. It will offer an authentic menu of cicchetti – Venetian-style small plates.
“There will be a real emphasis on sharing,” Italian-born Pampagnin told BigHospitality. “The food will of course have the Venetian influence; it will be very simply presented with no more than three ingredients on the plate.”
Meaning ‘a group of friends or guys’, TOZI's interior will feature warm wood, terracotta and marble décor along with an open-plan kitchen and charcuterie station. A choice of seating options will be available, including a central sharer table for groups and an informal bar area.
Despite what Pampagnin admits is ‘tough competition’ nearby to the new restaurant’s location on Gillingham Street, the chef says it is TOZI's focus on sharing and a friendly atmosphere that will help the restaurant stand out from the crowd.
'Lively atmosphere'
“I’ve been eating out for lunch and dinner a lot recently and it’s fair to say there are a lot of nearby restaurants that are of great quality, but I think our selling point will really be in the atmosphere we offer.
“Our 15-strong all-Italian kitchen brigade will be very lively - customers will hopefully come and feel like they’re a part of that lively atmosphere.”
Cicchetti are priced from £4, oven-cooked mains from £9 and the sharing dishes for two from £28.
The menu at TOZI will also feature small dishes such as buffalo ricotta ravioli with black truffle and gnocchi with duck ragu and baccala. Counter food including Italian salumi and cheese such as coppa, wild boar salami, burrata and buffalo mozzarella complete the food offering.
More restaurants
On the drinks menu, Prosecco produced in the Veneto region of Italy will be available as an aperitif on tap and TOZI’s bar will offer a selection of classic Italian cocktails including the Bellini, Negroni and Aperol Spritz.
Pampagnin was appointed as executive chef for PPHE Hotel Group in May 2012.The vision for the Park Plaza owner is to open more standalone, destination-led restaurant and bar outlets, independent of its hotel brands.
“The aim is to open more outlets in the next two or three years. I would love to see other TOZI’s around Europe, but we have to really focus on opening this site Victoria at the moment. Who knows what will happen in the future?”
TOZI Restaurant and Bar will open at 8 Gillingham Street in London Victoria on 13 March.
