Mortimer House Kitchen

It’s hard not to be struck by Mortimer House’s slick art deco styling as you walk through the doors of this polished Fitzrovia members’ club. The long dining room stretches far into the distance, a mish-mash of herringbone parquet floor, stout aspidistras and vintage furniture and pleasantly-worn rugs. On the left, well-dressed Fitzrovians are perched at the bar sharing a glass of wine. It’s all very serene, measured and pleasant - carefully styled to suit all sorts.

Like at sister club 1 Warwick, the downstairs restaurant is open to the public whilst the rest of the club remains for members only. 1 Warwick head chef Tom Cenci - with the former now fairly well-established - has shifted his attention to Mortimer House Kitchen, conjuring a new menu that takes influence from his own holidays in Amalfi, with some Italo-American crowd pleasers thrown in for good measure. It’s the latter that will become most synonymous with Mortimer House Kitchen, particularly a hulking slab of chicken parmigiana, generously draped in melted cheese and marinara sauce. What’s not to like, frankly? It comes alongside a bowl of fresh egg spaghetti, naked except for a cured egg yolk on top, and though utterly incongruous it is absolutely delicious.

Mortimer House gets most of the rest right too. We’re all for a section dedicated to scarpetta, i.e. plates of things to dip and swirl your bread in, especially when the focaccia is this good. We also recommend the zucchini Caesar salad, where Cenci works more magic with twists on classics (a suitable follow up to his excellent celeriac carbonara at Nessa, though Italian purists may disagree). That said, the experience isn’t perfect - a beef sirloin was nicely cooked but could have used more salt, and a plate of calamarata pasta with prawns and tomato didn’t quite deliver flavour-wise either. For the most part, though, Mortimer House Kitchen is a safe pair of hands with some real highlights to dig into, and an excellent, compact drinks list to match.

Although it's part of private members' club Mortimer House, Mortimer House Kitchen - this chic all-day restaurant - is open to the general public, and is run by former Duck & Waffle chef Tom Cenci.

Mortimer House is part of the Maslow’s group of members’ clubs, which also includes 1 Warwick in Soho. Cenci is also executive chef of 1 Warwick restaurants Nessa and Yasmin, the former of which is also open to the public.

Inside Mortimer House Kitchen has the same sophisticated art deco style as Nessa, featuring vintage art deco furniture as well as original parquet floor and an assortment of comfortable dining chairs, sofas and lounge chairs. The dining room extends from a lounge area at the front to a large dining area towards the back, with more seating around the side and an open kitchen at the rear. There is also a bar along the side of the room where guests can order from a separate bar menu, or just drop in for a drink.

The menu is a fusion of authentic Italian and Italo-American comfort food, focusing largely around pasta, salads, mains and desserts. There’s also a section of ‘scarpetta’, which refers to the act of mopping a plate with bread - this includes plates of stracciatella and olive oil, and smoked whipped ricotta, as well as rosemary focaccia for dipping. Also on the menu at the time of writing you’ll find a Caprese salad, a zucchini caesar, as well as wild mushroom ravioli with sage and hazelnut, and chicken parmigiana with marinara sauce. Desserts include pistachio cannoli, and affogato with vanilla or chocolate gelato.

Meanwhile, the bar menu includes nibble and scarpetta plates, alongside a compact cocktail list and a few no-and-low mixes. There’s also a sizable wine list that includes plenty of options by the glass and bottles from the old and new worlds.