A Hot Dinners exclusive
He had a big hit with his dishes at Bancone, before moving onto Tavolino, and now Louis Korovilas is opening an Italian pasta restaurant in Islington (taking over from the Cote on Islington Green).
At this new restaurant, you can expect a combination of Italian street food and pasta dishes. Of the former, the fritti are the main attraction. There will be fried parcels of leek, taleggio, gorgonzola and walnuts as well as crisp sage and anchovy beignets. He'll also have his take on fritto misto - fried squid and mussels with nori and bagna cauda (that's an anchovy and garlic dipping sauce). Alongside the fried goodness will be dishes like the house-cured bresaola that's served with celeriac and toasted fennel mayo.
As for the pasta dishes, expect those to change with the season. So to kick off, there will be
- Classic Neapolitan Genovese ragu with veal, pork and onions tossed with tubes of paccheri
- Herbed lamb shoulder ravioli
- Gnocchetti with confit tomato and smoked ricotta
- Bucatini with brown butter cacio e pepe
The pasta chefs will be front and centre too - you'll be able to see them in action as you pass the restaurant. Drinks-wise, cocktails will start at a pretty good £5 and there will be seasonal spritzes, starting with pear and marjoram, spiced kumquat and sage and grapefruit and pink peppercorn and thyme.
Islington's lacking a decent, affordable fresh pasta restaurant - so this could do very well indeed.
If you fancy a taste of Noci before it launches, Louis Korovilas is running a preview at Mortimer House with a four-night residency from 24-27 November. He'll be previewing some of the new Noci dishes alongside a special autumn-themed menu. You can get tickets here.
More about Noci
Where is it? 4-6 Islington Green, London N1 2XA
When does it open? 11 March 2022
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @nocipasta.
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