Tavolino, a new London neighbourhood restaurant located in the heart of London Bridge will open the doors and outdoor terrace on Friday 31st July. The kitchen will be headed up by Louis Korovilas, formerly Head Chef of Bancone and godson of famed chef, Giorgio Locatelli. Tavolino – meaning ‘small table’, will serve simple dishes cooked with produce from across Italy and the UK, carefully sourced by Louis from individual suppliers.
“I respect the Italian approach to cooking: a dedication to quality ingredients, eaten at their peak, with the flavours coaxed from each one. At Tavolino, we’ll be steering away from using overused produce of mediocre quality and have spent the last six months going directly to suppliers who have been perfecting their produce for several generations. For example, we’ve found the best Pecorino Sardo DOP and a 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano for our pastas, and our lemons are sourced directly from a farmer on the Almalfi coast,” says Louis.
For lunch and dinner, guests can begin as the Italians do with a selection of bread baked in-house by pastry chef Taylor Sessegnon-Shakespeare including honeyed garlic focaccia, and an olive and parmesan roll. Dishes for the table can include cured salume such as Tuscan fennel salami, or lardo and parmesan bombolini and zucchini fritti and starters including fresh burrata from an artisanal dairy in Puglia, served with grilled zucchini scarpece.
Every morning, Louis and his team will make their own fresh pasta from scratch for dishes including his signature dish of silk handkerchief pasta sheets with walnut butter and Burford Brown yolk (served in Bancone); tagliatelle, spicy ‘nduja and pork ragù; and hand-rolled potato gnocchi with tomato, basil and Barilotto cheese. A selection of pizzas is made Romagna-style on a thin, crispy sourdough base, topped with ingredients such as Puglian burrata, ‘nduja from Spilinga, black Taggiasca olives and Gorgonzola Riserva. Desserts include all the crowd pleasers; an Amalfi lemon meringue, tiramisu, balsamic chocolate mousse and skillet polenta cake with cherries and caramelised white chocolate made to share. La Dolce Vita!
On the south bank of the River Thames, Tavolino will be split across two floors with floor-to-ceiling windows with sensational views of the water and the the interiors will take inspiration from classic Milanese coffee bars and the traditional trattorias of Florence.