What I Really Thought Of Theo James’ New Restaurant, Ornella
The Italian openings are quickly getting out of hand; there are too many Italian restaurants. This is what I think every time I hear of yet another one opening. Of course, I then go. And, of course, I more than often leave full, drunk and smiling.
I’ll gloss over my fear that we’re overdoing the Italian restaurant in London this time, because a new opening from our favourite guys, Theo James, Ed Templeton and Naz Hassan, is more than decent. It’s a recommendation that has already been deployed in the last week, a spot for the young, hip, trendy cigarette smokers who also happen to love a good bowl of pasta.
It is neighbourhoodly, it is a locale, with focus on the immediate area; a response to our yearning for more convivial spaces.
Mallory, Junior Food & Drink Editor
What sets it apart
In my opinion, there is not much that sets Ornella apart, which is really what I like so much about it. It’s a corner neighbourhood restaurant, a butter yellow facade with wooden square tables, comfortable chairs and simple decor. What is special, really special, about Ornella is that despite visiting two days before opening, there was already a community that had been built in the confines of the place.
You’d think, passing the spot on its soft launch, that it had been around for years, that the regulars were already in for an early supper and that the servers already had their established and consistent relationship with the group of friends at table 12. Not only did the room fill with the subtle scent of freshly grated Parm and an open flame, but it also filled with rays of afternoon light and beams of joy. The people in Ornella loved that they were in Ornella.
What we ordered
A drink: I had two. Beginning with a fig leaf martini. Whilst I am not a gin martini drinker, it did sound quite refreshing, as I remember entering and declaring to my colleague that what I needed was a stiff drink. Stiff it was, and if I did one thing differently, it probably would have started with the almond and grape sour and finished with the martini. I say this because perhaps that would’ve let my palette relax with a mellowed out mixed drink before shifting to a violent punch in the face.
I say this because perhaps that would’ve let my palette relax with a mellowed out mixed drink before shifting to a violent punch in the face.
Roasted vegetables and focaccias joined us with our drinks. While three slices of glistening olive oily carbs for under a fiver, to me, is actually quite decent, 12 pounds for a couple of dollops of roasted vegetables is anything but. Spend the same amount on another well-done cocktail and move along.
While three slices of glistening olive oily carbs for under a fiver, to me, is actually quite decent, 12 pounds for a couple of dollops of roasted vegetables is anything but.
Or, perhaps, place an order on the vitello tonnato. Thinly sliced veal absolutely swimming in a salty sauce built around blended tuna, tuna which sat directly beneath the meat as it dripped and spat from the coals below. Finished with crispy capers for sharpness and crunch, it was a clever, deeply savoury opening plate that immediately sharpened the appetite.
Parmigiana di melanzane was very good, not a first date dish, but definitely one to share with an old lover. Decadent in its red sauce and bubbling, begging for a split and a scoop from the focaccia. Side note, don’t finish the focaccia aimlessly, leave it to mop up the mains.
Whilst nearly everything was a pleasure to try, I would go back for two things and two things alone…
Whilst nearly everything was a pleasure to try, I would go back for two things and two things alone. Tajarin al brodo di cipolla, side of peas, onion and guanciale. The former, a bowl of thin, noodle-like tagliolini in a deep broth of roscoff onion with a side of steaming, melting, buttery, cheesy bread to immortalise the broth. The latter, a long, generous helping of gorgeous spring peas speckled with the crispiest, yet fattiest, lardons of guanciale you’ll find in London.
The verdict
Dinner is followed by the likelihood of a rolled cigarette on either facade of the place, joined by the other Hackney frequenters who believe they only smoke when they have a drink. But, even for those non-smokers, Ornella is a place to congregate, to socialise amongst the smoke and the steam, to soak up the last few hours, minutes, seconds of daylight that London’s spring afternoons provide us with. It has added a page to the study on where young people want to see and be seen. It is neighbourhoodly, it is a locale, with focus on the immediate area; a response to our yearning for more convivial spaces.
So, perhaps I might be experiencing a slight fatigue in Italian restaurants, but Ornella is a bit more than just another Italian restaurant. It is an offering from some of the city’s most loved restaurateurs who are heeding our calls and sprinkling more glitter on the pavement. Grazie mille.
It has added a page to the study on where young people want to see and be seen.
