What: A trendy new pasta and grill restaurant that has opened within East London’s Norton Folgate development, which sits on the border of Spitalfields, Shoreditch and the City. A sister restaurant to popular Dalston joint Angelina, which opened in 2019, Osteria Angelina is, like its older sibling, a celebration of Itameshi – a fusion cuisine that combines Italian and Japanese culinary traditions (the term itself is a portmanteau of ‘Italy’ and ‘meshi’, the latter being the Japanese word for food). However, as the name suggests, Osteria Angelina positions itself as embracing the osteria style of northern Italy with an emphasis on à la carte and a faster pace compared to the Dalston restaurant.
Who: Like Angelina Dalston, Osteria Angelina is led by founders Joshua Owens-Baigler, Amar Takhar and Laura Horta. It marks the trio’s first opening since they made a play for central London with Golden Gai, a gastronomically ambitious bar in Soho that opened in December 2020. Golden Gai was subsequently overhauled and relaunched as Japanese ‘kushikatsu’ restaurant Dai Chi the following year, which received positive reviews from critics including The Guardian’s Grace Dent, but eventually closed in 2023. Owens-Baigler and Takhar are childhood friends with a combined CV that includes stints at The River Café and Bocca di Lupo (Owens-Baigler), and JKS (Takhar). The pair joined forces with operations specialist Horta, also formerly of Bocca di Lupo, to launch Angelina in 2019. Leading the kitchen at Osteria Angelina is Usman Haider, who joined Angelina back in 2019 and is now the team’s executive chef.
Osteria Angelina is led by founders Joshua Owens-Baigler (L), Amar Takhar (R) and Laura Horta (centre) (©Bruna Balodis Photography)
The food: Haider’s menu majors in fresh pasta dishes alongside big cuts of meat, fish and vegetables cooked on binchotan-fired grills. However, the menu is split into eight sections, which also includes house-made breads, salads, crudo, fritti and dessert. Prices across the board are accessible with smaller plates and individual dishes pitched primarily between the £5 and £15 mark and larger sharing dishes starting at £30. Example dishes include Hokkaido milk bread with kumquat and burnt honey butter (£6); Haider’s ‘magic tomato salad’ (£11); kombu-cured bream with smoked burnt butter (£12); courgette flower and miso ricotta (£12); tortellini pasta with truffle and kombu (£15); and Brixham skate wing to share, served on the bone with sea urchin butter (£49).
To drink: The wine list features more than 300 Italian wines focusing on the country’s diverse landscape of indigenous varieties. There is also a selection of sake put together by expert Masayo Nuttall, alongside lists of grappa and Japanese whiskies.
Osteria Angelina’s tortellini pasta with truffle and kombu (©Osteria Angelina)
The vibe: Set within a renovated Victorian warehouse, the 75-cover restaurant is centred around a large open kitchen and bar, with a mix of chef counter and table seating. The restaurant’s comfortable, monochromatic design has been overseen by Anna Owens Designs who has also created the restaurant’s tableware and furniture.
And another thing: Itameshi originally emerged in Japan in the early twentieth century as the popularity of Western cuisines, including Italian food, grew across the country.
Nicholls & Clarke Yard, off Blossom Steet, Norton Folgate, E1 6SH // https://angelina.london/osteria/