San Carlo Group to open new concept Fumo with chef Aldo Zilli

The 130-cover site at 37 St Martin’s Lane will be the fourth in the London portfolio from the Group – which is owned by the Distefano family ‒ after Signore Sassi in Knightsbridge, and Cicchetti in Piccadilly and Covent Garden.

Overall, the group operates 17 sites across the UK, including Cicchetti at the House of Fraser in Manchester, plus an international estate reaching to Bangkok and Qatar.

With dishes created by ‘chef consigliere’ (advisor) Aldo Zilli, and executive chefs Filippo Pagani and Franco Bellamusto, Fumo will focus on all-day dining, with small plates or ‘cicchetti’, using fresh and seasonal ingredients sourced from produce markets in Milan.

Typical dishes will include Tagliolini lobster, cod Vicentina (Venetian style cod), homemade gnocchi truffle (crispy gnocchi with cheese fondue and truffle), and guazzetto di cozze e vongole (mussels and clams with tomato sauce, chilli and white wine), and Sicillian tuna tartare.

The wine list and design have been created with the aim to present a traditional Italian feel, and there will be a solid marble ‘feature’ bar as part of the new interior.

The opening will also form part of a wider expansion push for the group, which will look to open in Bahrain and Dubai into 2017.

Commenting on the new opening, managing director Marcello said: “We’re excited to bring Fumo, a modern concept in Italian dining, to St Martin’s Lane. Our existing London restaurants Signor Sassi on Knightsbridge Green and both Cicchetti sites in Piccadilly and Covent Garden continue to flourish and we expect nothing less for Fumo.”