Dante London will launch on August 1offering a weekly rotating menu of Italo-French fine dishes.
It’s a partnership between Louis Korovilas and Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare who first worked together at Michelin star Pied A Terre back in 2016.
The Dante team outside the Islington Arts Club on Upper Street where they will run a weekend restaurant. (Image: Dante) Back then it was Taylor’s first job on pastry while Louis already had a background at Locanda Locatelli.
Now they are launching their first venture together at the Islington Arts Club drawing on their training and experience in French and Italian culinary traditions to deliver bold, contemporary flavours.
Dante London takes up residency in the kitchen of the Upper Street pub serving a tasting menu in the 27-cover upstairs room from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch.
Louis Korovilas and Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare will serve a tasting menu in the 27-cover dining room. (Image: Dante) The menu of seasonal dishes will include broadbean orzotto with glazed chicken wing, aubergine scarpece, with clam bagna cauda and crispy palourde clams, beef carpaccio with oyster mayonnaise and baby artichokes and seasonal financiers for dessert.
The pair will use lesser known breeds and cuts, focusing on whole animals like whole sucking pig belly for two.
The residency is set in a cosy aubergine-hued room with mismatched furniture, and large windows letting in natural light.
The menu of Italo-French dishes includes broadbean orzotto with glazed chicken wing, aubergine scarpece, with clam bagna cauda and crispy palourde clams. (Image: Dante) In the evening the candlelit dining room should make for an intimate dining ambience.
Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare said: “With London being such a cosmopolitan city, there is a constant stream of influence from all over the globe in terms of food, which is what makes the city so exciting.
“We want to make sure you can see this within our food and some of our ingredient choices. We’re trying to bring back the lost staple of hospitality with little details such as complimentary bread selections.
“Though this is a hit to margins and is labour intensive, it’s a price worth paying on our end. This is true hospitality: it’s about giving and that is what we want Dante London to be about.”
Louis Korovilas added: “At the moment the London dining scene is quite formulaic due to the financial climate; restaurants are taking less exciting risks and you can see a lot of similarities in many menus.
“We’re trying to break away from this without current trends on our menu and how we cook.”
The venue itself dates back to 1792 and has previously been known as the Angel and Crown, Tut ‘n’ Shive, Lush Bar, Cedar Room and The Library.
Dante currently has only one sitting per evening on Friday and Saturday with a more fluid approach on Sundays.
Reservations can be made by email and those who pre-pay their booking through the website will get an extra secret course on the house.
The restaurant is currently in a soft launch at £55 per person, rising to £65 from August 1 when it officially opens. www.dante.lndn
Dining and Cooking