The team behind South Ken’s Macellaio RC – which has long been “knocking more macho steak houses into a cock hat” according to our reporters – will launch a new restaurant in Southwark’s Union Yard arches in August 2016.
Founder Robert Costa first expanded his winning formula of “the best steaks ever” paired with an ingenious wine list (arranged according to how rare or well done you like your meat) last year with an outpost in Exmouth Market.
The third site, this time south of the Thames, will incorporate a steakhouse, in-house butchery and a Ligurian bakery. Beef will be dry-aged on site, hung behind glass, and (perhaps inspired by the nearby Globe Theatre?) a stage will extend into the restaurant between two large banquet tables, upon which the Macellaio RC team will showcase the best cuts of the day.
A white marble butcher’s block, framed by dramatic curtains, will have pride of place in the ground floor dining hall, where experienced butchers and chefs will prepare steaks, carpaccios, tartares, and cured meats in front of the guests.
Macellaio RC Union Street will be the first restaurant in the group to feature a Ligurian bakery or “Pizzeria secondo me”, where handmade dough will be produced daily using just water, natural yeasts, and Italian flour. The bakery will serve a range of traditional Ligurian breads, vegetable tarts, fresh pasta and pastries, including Torta di Bietole e prescinseau (swiss chard and curd tart) and Focaccia al formaggio di Recco. Menus will also feature Pissalandrea – a unique west-Ligurian bread made from a thick dough baked in a pot, and similar to both pizza and focaccia.
The meat menu will feature Fassona beef, seasoned with rock salt and Tuscan olive oil (and dry-aged 5-7 weeks), that come from small artisan farms in North West Italy.
