Photo: Joe Howard
On the former Bernardi’s site, The Italian Greyhound is a new bar and dining room from restaurateurs Marcello and Gabriel Bernardi, and Barry Hirst.
An evolution of the Bernardi brothers’ original Italian restaurant, The Italian Greyhound is a more casual venue, specifically inspired by the neighbourhood bacaros of Italy. For the launch of the brand new restaurant, the interiors have been redesigned by Barry Hirst and Gabriel Bernardi to reflect the relaxed ethos with the bright space bedecked with natural finishes and materials with plenty of light wood and foliage. The result is both fresh and modern, matched with easy-going service to bring a comfortable atmosphere. In addition to space for 80 guests inside, the restaurant also has a 20-cover wraparound terrace.
Continuing the bacaro influence, The Italian Greyhound has an expansive bar area with its own entrance. Here a selection of bar snacks are served alongside a selection of Italian and British beers and ciders, classic and new ‘signature’ cocktails, and a wine list showcasing Italian and European producers with a strong by-the-glass selection.
As for the food, The Italian Greyhound Head Chef Yohei Furuhashi (River Café, Dinings SW3, and Petersham Nurseries) has devised a menu rooted in simple, elegant dishes with a particular focus on high quality Italian and British produce. Small plates are joined by handmade pasta, pizza, salads, and dishes from the grill.
A recent lunch began with a gorgeous dish of smoked yellowfin tuna, fanned out on the plate and simply garnished with a handful of caperberries and dressed celery ribbons, showcasing exceptional produce. Gnocco fritto on the other hand were light and greaseless, complete with wafer thin slices of capocollo and runny squacquerone cheese. Elsewhere, an oval pizzette was thin and crispy with a white, Stracciatella base, plus Calabrian chilli sausage slices and wild chicory.
From the pasta section of the menu at The Italian Greyhound, Sardinian malloreddus clung to a rich sauce of ripe tomato, with slow-cooked aubergine and olives, while a generous tranche of turbot was superlatively cooked on the grill, with a thick strip of fat bringing an abundance of flavour alongside the blizzard of grated bottarga, complete with Italian spinach and peas to bring freshness to the exemplary main.
To finish, a mound of pistachio-enriched tiramisu was a particularly good example of the northern classic, finished with crushed pistachio and a heaping amount of bitter cacao powder. But even better was the light Ligurian olive oil cake with heavily charred peach segments acting as the jewel in the dish’s proverbial crown.
On the launch of The Italian Greyhound, co-founder Marcello Bernardi said: “We previously built a loyal local following in Marylebone and wanted to make sure that we evolved our positioning to keep our locals keen but also attract those from further afield. We want The Italian Greyhound to be a real crowd pleaser, a relaxed neighbourhood gem, where people can pop in for a drink or a pasta whenever they please.”
The Italian Greyhound can be found at 62 Seymour Street, London, W1H 5BN.
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