Restaurant group to launch Covent Garden venue
THE San Carlo restaurant group is preparing to launch its new eatery Fumo in London’s Covent Garden in early September.
Fumo will open at 37 St Martin’s Lane and follows the success of the brand in Birmingham and Manchester.
Carlo Distefano opened the first San Carlo restaurant in Birmingham in 1992, with the group now nearing 20 UK sites. The latest opening builds on the Italian family-owned group’s existing London portfolio which includes Signor Sassi in Knightsbridge and Cicchetti in Piccadilly and Covent Garden.
The 130-cover restaurant will offer all day dining and feature a solid marble feature bar.
The culinary focus will be on small plates or cicchetti using the freshest seasonal ingredients – mostly sourced direct from produce markets in Milan.
The cuisine represents local specialities from the varying Italian regions.
In the kitchen will be a brigade of 15 chefs from all over Italy, guided by San Carlo executive chefs Filippo Pagani and Franco Bellamusto, as well as chef consigliere Aldo Zilli.
Managing director Marcello Distefano said: “We’re excited to bring Fumo, a modern concept in Italian dining, to St Martin’s Lane.
“With Fumo open our group expansion plans will focus on Bahrain and Dubai where we look to open in 2017.”
