“I didn’t really choose London, it chose me,” Nancy Silverton tells La Cucina Italiana. The acclaimed chef is no stranger to the Big Smoke, having trained at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school at its former site on Marylebone Lane in 1977. “To return now with my own restaurant is very exciting,” she adds. Since her studies Silverton has gone on to become a household name, a recipient of the Outstanding Chef award from the James Beard Foundation and founder of La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, which is often lauded as “the birthplace of the artisan bread movement” in the United States. Aside from the pair of Pizzeria Mozza restaurants in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, which she co-owns with restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich, Silverton is also co-owner of Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, Mozza2Go, and Chi Spacca in LA.
Pizza from the new Pizzeria Mozza in London.
Unlike its sister spots, the UK outpost of Pizzeria Mozza is part of a hotel – the eco-friendly Treehouse Hotel London on Regent Street. Operated by SH Hotels and Resorts, the property boasts three other dining outlets – Madera, The Nest in Treehouse, and Backyard – though none are Italian in nature. This isn’t Silverton’s first project with a hotel, having opened the modern Italian steakhouse The Barish at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel earlier this year. “It has gone extremely smoothly. A large part of that is because of the hotel’s contribution. They have taken care of so many things and that helped our decision to open at Treehouse Hotel London,” she says.
Opening a new site during the pandemic is no easy feat, but working with a hotel has had its advantages. “A good hotel has many positive built-in factors, such as, for example, a loyal clientele who stay at the hotel and therefore [provides] a little more security. The team at Treehouse Hotel/SH Group has been extremely welcoming and generous with their expertise thus far. I really feel like our first UK/London opening is in safe hands at their hotel,” she remarks.
The restaurant is located adjacent to the ground floor of the hotel and has been designed by London-based Ward & Gray to resemble a wild Mediterranean garden, echoing the hotel’s leafy décor. In keeping with the Italian cuisine, the design firm has worked primarily with Italian vendors such as Venetian glassblower Sogni di Cristallo and Milanese furniture maker Soto.
As you might expect, the menu champions Silverton’s famed pizza dough, from the traditional Margherita and Napolitana to the more adventurous toppings of clams and red onion, and Pizza alla Benno – Silverton’s twist on a Hawaiian which features speck, pineapple, jalapeños, tomato, and mozzarella. Alongside the crusts will be a selection of antipasti (think squash blossoms fritti with ricotta), Italian-inspired salads, and fish and meat dishes, with a focus on seasonal produce and locally sourced ingredients.
The restaurant will also cater to vegetarians and pescatarians alike, with Meatless Mondays and Fish Fridays, while Italian-inspired brunch dishes such as oxtail hash al forno will be served on the weekends. Benefitting from a high footfall, with the BBC Broadcasting House just next door, Mozza will also be offering takeaway, including the possibility to purchase “Nancy’s Fancy” gelato in half-kilo or (if you’re feeling indulgent) full kilo tubs.
Are further international sites in the pizzeria pipeline? Mexico’s Baja California is set to welcome Mozza Cabo in the fall, located in the forthcoming Marina Village courtyard at Costa Palmas, but Silverton keeps the rest under wraps. “There are a few other places we are considering but I don’t want to jinx anything,” she concludes. After the year that’s just gone by, we don’t blame her.