Irish eyes are smiling: Robin Gill
(Picture: Paul Winch-Furness)Fresh from announing the return of London’s most notorious supperclub, the chef Robin Gill is busying himself with a new restaurant project.
Gill will open Maria G’s on Kensington’s Warwick Lane this June, offering what he calls “a true neighbourhood restaurant — the kind of place that everyone would like to have at the end of their street, that you could come to every week.”
The restaurant will be something of a nod to the time the chef spent working in southern Italy, in particular at Marina Del Cantone, a small beach village along the Amalfi coast. As such, the food will lean into classic Italian fare, serving the likes of ricotta agnolotti with baby purple artichoke; rosemary and orange bresaola, and mullet plated with Amalfi lemons and fennel aioli.
Gill told the Standard: “During my training I was lucky enough to have spent time near the Amalfi coast, where a little fishing village called Marina del Cantone left a huge impression on me and how I cook today.
“Maria G’s is a restaurant taking me down memory lane. I’ll be creating my favourite dishes with some of my favourite ingredients from my beloved suppliers.”
The relaxed vibe seems to be reflected in the pricing, with starters at around £7-12 and most mains in the teens, topping out at £20.
The choice of site is an interesting one for Gill, as it sees him move into the new Riverstone housing development between Kensington and Earl’s Court; in some respects, it’s a similar move to the one he made opening Darby’s at the bottom of the block of flats beside the American Embassy in Nine Elms.
Little else is known as this stage other than both Riverstone and Gill adding that there will be a focus on sustainability, which is fortunately somewhat par for the course these days. The chef, who trained under Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room, also runs Sorella, the Bermondsey Larder and Brentford coffee shop, Rye By The Water.
