THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH
Mortimer House is a member’s only club in the heart of Fitzrovia offering various work spaces as well as social and wellness activities to its clientele. Mortimer House Kitchen, the ground floor restaurant which is open to the public, was taken over earlier this year by Executive Chef Tom Cenci.
The room is beautiful. Light, airy, comfortable and reminiscent of “Shoreditch chic”, it leans towards the multi-functional style of the club itself. This presents a few problems as a dining room. Tables are mostly low, inviting diners to lounge while eating, or small café tables next to the floor to ceiling windows. We chose the latter and spent the evening moving dishes, glasses and bottles around in an attempt to accommodate the food. Our lovely servers accomplished this with panache but it was still awkward. The kitchen certainly deserves larger tables to present its wonderful food.
Cenci’s menu is an ode to the summers he spent in Italy. Crispy polenta with Parmesan mayo at £3 per person are a little bite of cheesy heaven. Perfect with a light cocktail, a refreshing Sole (£14) of gin, Prosecco, lemon zest and basil. Now just bring me some of that Italian sunshine!!!
Zucchini Caesar (£12) is Cenci’s lovely play on the classic. Shreds of dressed courgette with Parmesan and pangrattato. I just wanted more punch from the dressing. More anchovies, more lemon and more garlic would make the dish sing.
Carne cruda and n’duja bruschetta (£16) brought the flavor I desired. The two rounds of toast were heaped with the perfectly balanced mix of raw beef and spicy sausage.
Sardinian (semolina) gnocchi (£22) was dish of the day. The perfect pasta is served with a chicken and offal ragu that is just delicious. I love offal but not everyone does. Here it was beautifully judged, adding a rich, gamey, meaty flavor to the sauce. Topped with fresh Parmesan, it couldn’t be better.
Chicken Parmigiana (£27) was an excellent version of the classic and ginormous in size! This is a dish you definitely want to share. Perfectly crumbed with a darkly rich marinara sauce and scads of mozzarella. For another £6 you can have a side of spaghetti and it’s really a must. Drenched in butter and topped with grated, cured egg yolk, it should be offered as a main dish.
I was very happy with a glass of 2020 Montepulciano Rosso Conero (£12.50). Fruit forward with cherry and plum, it worked well with the varied meal.
Torta 900 (£9), Nutella ricotta cream sandwiched between two rectangles of dense, dark chocolate cake was a very happy ending!
