Romano Perella, the restaurateur behind the Amore brand, is preparing to launch a new Italian restaurant in Glasgow. Malocchio will open next month on Ingram Street, occupying the former Mediterraneo site.
The name, explains Perella, refers to a Southern Italian superstition surrounding the evil eye. The restaurant’s identity is based on Il Corno, a traditional horn-shaped amulet believed to ward off bad intentions and bring good fortune.
“This is really exciting for us,” said Perella. “Malocchio is the first concept I’ve personally created from scratch, which has helped shape the positive feeling around it all.”
The restaurant has been designed to offer “a sanctuary, an escape from your daily life and problems, from the world and the negative energy – inside it’s all smiles and that sigh of truly relaxing for whatever time you can take.”
Malocchio will serve house-made fresh pasta alongside rustic sauces, meats and seafood, and will feature a new interpretation of traditional pizza.
“The food is at the very heart of it all so that’s the key – everything freshly made on site and totally looking to that rich culture and tradition I grew up with for inspiration,” said Perella.
“I’m not reinventing the wheel – this restaurant is showcasing the amazing heritage Italy has given me, using all I have learned to create something genuinely new and different,” he added. “It’s grown from family and tradition but presented in a modern way that’s still respectful to the old ideas.”
“Ultimately this is a very modern take on Italian cuisine which isn’t available in Glasgow at the moment,” said Perella. “That’s what the name and the concept are about – and it doesn’t matter if you believe in superstition or not, you will believe in our food.”
He added, “For us, Malocchio is all about positivity, about negativity bouncing off the shield of good vibes so none of the bad stuff in life gets to you.”
