Peter Sanchez-Iglesias to go back to his restaurant roots with Casa
Opening mid next month, Casa is being billed as a reimagining of the Sanchez-Iglesias family’s original Casamia restaurant in the Bristol suburb of Westbury-on-Trym, which opened in 1999.
Peter and his late brother Jonray cooked at their parent's neighbourhood restaurant throughout their teens, gradually moving it away from its Italian origins to create one of the UK’s most ambitious restaurants.
Casamia - which moved to The General development in central Bristol in 2016 - closed earlier this year citing rapidly increasing costs.
The new restaurant will offer a 'contemporary, accessible, yet refined' take on traditional Italian dining.
The 66-cover restaurant will offer a similarly relaxed environment to its older sibling next door, offering a ‘dynamic’ menu created by Sanchez-Iglesias and executive chef Joel Breakwell.
Dishes will be made using high quality ingredients from Italian and British producers, with the restaurant working with many of the same local suppliers that the team have partnered with for years.
Sanchez-Iglesias and Breakwell will revive dishes from Casamia, in some cases serving them on plateware archived by the family over the years.
A signature potato ravioli will be elevated with the addition of a Lion’s Mane mushroom ragu, and the family’s famed tiramisu will return 'just as it always was'.
The menu, which like Sanchez-Iglesias' Michelin-starred Paco Tapas nextdoor will feature handwritten annotations of daily specials, will begin with antipasti bites including fried semolina with Parmesan; and prawn crudo, as well as a selection of premium cured meats and cheeses.
This will be followed by a seasonal selection of pasta plates, with classics such as tortellini in brodo sitting alongside seasonally changing double agnolotti (pictured).
The fish courses will use the best that the South West has to offer, while the carne courses channel 'indulgent' Italian classics such as veal ossobuco, and a sharing portion of Steak Florentine, with vegetable sides including cime di rapa, and cabbage with pancetta.
Breakwell - who has directed the kitchen at Paco Tapas for the past three years - will lead both kitchens at executive chef, supported at Casa by head chef Alex Brownrigg.
Paco Tapas' long-standing restaurant manager James Stavert will also oversee both restaurants.
The wine offering has been curated by former Casamia sommelier Tom Lakin, with a focus on Italian grapes, but encompassing expressions of these varieties by producers from around the world.
Housed in a listed, former hospital, the interiors will see a dramatic change from Casamia’s previous black interiors – the space will be fully opened up to overlook Bristol’s vibrant harbourside, featuring warm maple and birch finishes (created by skilled local craftspeople), and tables surrounding a busy open kitchen.
Diners are invited to either drop in for a plate of pasta and a glass of wine, or feast at length with the Chef’s Menu, which encompasses the very best of the menu that day.
Guests can also prop up at the restaurant’s bar and counter spaces, serving snacks and cocktails.
