Acclaimed chef Tom Cenci is set to open a new restaurant housed in the Soho’s latest members’ club, 1 Warwick. Launching on March 6, Nessa will be a modern British bistro said to be inspired by the bohemian history of Soho.
Despite its private members’ club surrounds, the 98-cover ground floor restaurant will be open to the public. The plush dining space — designed by Fettle, who’ve opened restaurants for the Hoxton in Rome and Olivetta in Los Angeles — will be supplemented by a shoe horn-shaped bar area and small covered street-side terrace.
Cenci’s cooking, most recently of the well-reviewed Loyal Tavern and a popular albeit short-lived Stoney Street residency in Borough Market, will be primarily British in its influence, yet will lean into European and other global flavours as required.
Open from breakfast, guests can expect morning offerings of sausage and egg muffins or “not avocado on toast”, later giving way to an all day menu featuring smoked haddock salad, mushroom ravioli with garlic and whole roasted sea bass.
Cenci’s immaculate Instagram account gives further indications to his recent dish development. Black pudding brioche on toast with beurre noisette looks a hearty, feed-friendly plate that has jumped from socials straight to the menu.
Speaking to the Standard on the opening, Cenci said: “I had a lot of fun creating this menu. The twists on classics and nods to British culture make it different from a traditional bistro. The food will be humble, fun and use seasonal produce in a simple but original way.”
1 Warwick itself is the latest private members’ space from the team behind Mortimer House, who in turn have a track record of installing talented teams to run their restaurants. Luke Selby, late of Evelyn’s Table and returning to helm the kitchen at Le Manoir, and Elizabeth Haigh, of Mei Mei in Borough Market, are both Mortimer House alumni.
Founder Guy Ivesha said of Nessa’s imminent opening: “Being on the corner of Brewer, Warwick and Glasshouse streets feels like we’re at the gates to the best neighbourhood in London. I want Nessa to be a place people walk into and feel like they’ve been coming here for years.”
