Rafael Cagali's second restaurant Elis to launch this autumn
Expected to open this autumn in the space that was once Corner Room, the restaurant will be a counterpoint to the chef’s adjacent Da Terra flagship, offering an a la carte menu and wines selected by the team at Noble Rot.
“Elis is inspired by my mother and childhood and we will be serving more rustic dishes, with a selection of elegant snacks and good wines,” says Cagali.
“I have wanted to explore some of the more relaxed elements of Brazilian and Italian food culture for some time; drawing on everything from my favourite street food to family meal celebration dishes that my grandma used to make.”
Plates will include vitello tonnato; bolinho de bacalhau (cod fritters); gnocco fritto, Parmesan and speck; Churros pecorino; and crab tagliolini verde.
There will also be larger dishes designed to share including baby monkfish tail with black tucupi glaze; and pork chops with black beans and chimichurri.
The wine list will be a concise selection of 10 to 12 bottles highlighted at any given time, with five to six wines by the glass, curated by Noble Rot.
Billed as elegant and dynamic, Elis will seat around 30 and will feature bespoke design elements created in collaboration with Studio Nathan Miller.
Like Da Terra, Elis will be a partnership with the Loh Lik Peng-owned hotel. BigHospitality understands that Cagali will have full creative control of the menu.
Originally from São Paulo, Cagali grew up in and around his family's restaurants but fell into cooking relatively late on in life.
His international CV includes chef Stefano Baiocco at A Villa Feltrinelli and time with three-star Spanish chefs Quique Dacosta and Martin Berasategui.
After moving to the UK, Cagali went on to work at The Fat Duck, where he met husband and now General Manager at Da Terra, Charlie Lee.
Cagali moved to Yashin Ocean House before joining Simon Rogan at Fera and later Aulis as head chef.
Da Terra launched in 2019 and won a Michelin star within nine months of opening. It was awarded a second star in the 2021 Michelin Guide and is currently ranked number 18 on Restaurant by BigHospitality's annual list of the top 100 restaurants to eat in the UK.
