Elia and Enzo
Officina 00 is the result of a collaboration between founders and friends Elia Sebregondi and Enzo Mirto who grew up together in Naples. After travelling the world together and sharing their passion for food, they both settled in London, rising through the ranks of Soho House and Kiln, before deciding to open their own venture.
The name sums up the pillars of the Enzo and Elia’s food philosophy: Officina is Italian for ‘workshop’ or ‘lab,’ and 00 (double-zero) is the finest grade of flour, used to make pasta. The menu at Officina 00 is largely flour led, featuring freshly baked sourdough, Italian pastries and, of course, a host of pasta varieties, prepared front-of-house in the ‘lab.’ An ethos of creating each dish from its most essential components runs throughout the menu, with plans for flour to be milled in-house in the future.
The lab is also a space for experimentation, where chefs craft and develop dishes, using regional inspiration to influence an evolving menu of pasta-based dishes. It is centred around a spianatoia, a traditional wooden workbench, commonly found in homes and restaurants throughout Naples, where it has been custom-made for the site. Said to absorb the humidity of the pasta, it gives a unique texture which helps sauces to stick.
Each dish tells a story from Elia and Enzo’s time in Italy. The bar menu features fried ravioli, a popular Caprese street food, with a Roman cacio e pepe filling, whilst the house sourdough and olive oil is made to a traditional Sorrentino recipe, using unfiltered olive oil. Their signature pasta dish – Occhi is filled with a braised pork Genovese, sour parsley and provolone, which is named after the fishermen, or Genoani, who would leave pork to slow-cook while out at sea. Another signature, Orecchiette with Peperoncini Verde and Almond Pesto was inspired by a visit to the Amalfi coast.
On the same trip to Amalfi, the duo discovered the home-made limoncello which is served at both restaurants. Alongside this, Enzo has overseen the creation of the drinks menu, which features Italian red wine and white wine on tap; a selection of wines by the bottle from a range of both traditional and unconventional labels; as well as a creative twist on classic Italian cocktails including an Americano and Hugo.