Itaku comes to Fitzrovia from a true dream team: Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, restaurateur and founder of the Cannes pop-up Cosy Box and chef Ivan Simeoli, who has over 15 years of training in top-end London restaurants. Fernandez-Versini's pop-up at the world-famous film festival in Cannes has seen nothing but success for the last 15 years, while Simeoli's impressive CV includes time spent at the Ambassador Hotel in Bloomsbury, The Royal Academy of Arts, The Wallace Collection and, perhaps most notably, the Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana.
The core philosophy of Itaku is straightforward enough, combing authentic Italian dishes with Japanese ingredients and techniques. While this fusion is not a new idea, Itaku certainly feels fresh. Menu highlights include aged soy baby chicken with baked asparagus; monkfish with pumpkin, miso and salt-baked Savoy cabbage; or Sicilian red prawns with black truffle ponzu and shiso. These fusion-focused dishes appear alongside more familiar fare, such as carbonara (although here with truffle) and ragu (with tempura seafood). At the 'raw bar', diners can expect sashimi dishes such as oysters, wild seabass or beef, but twisted with Italian flavours such as Calabrian chilli, Amalfi lemon or 36 month aged Parmesan. Pizzette are also available, with interesting arrays of toppings, such as tuna sashimi, truffle, spicy mayo and spring onion; brown trout guanciale, parsley mayo and Calabrian chilli or Piennolo tomato extract, semi-dried tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.
The impressive cocktail selection at Itaku has been curated by Nicholas Medicamento, whose talents have previously been utilised at The Savoy London's American Bar. Try the East to West Manhatten, made with Angel's Envy bourbon whisky, Umeshu plum liqueur, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, plum and rootbeer bitter, or, for a Japanese twist on a classic, the Bloody Itaku made with yawatawa isogoro and yuzu juice.
The interiors at Itaku have been carefully designed by Maria Morra, boasting white marble flooring, a huge skylight, dark furniture and gold accents.