Morchella, a new Mediterranean-inspired neighbourhood restaurant with a separate bar, opened this week in a former bank off Exmouth Market, from the team behind Perilla in Newington Green,

Running the kitchen is chef Dan Fletcher (centre in photo), back in London after a stint at 28 Market Place in Somerset. A former finalist in TV’s Great British Menu, he was previously head chef at Sky Garden’s Fenchurch and has worked at the Kitchin in Edinburgh and Tommy Banks’s Black Swan in Yorkshire. He is joined by Perilla’s chef-patron Ben Marks (right) and restaurateur Matthew Emmerson (left).

Dan said: “I’m really excited to be joining Ben and Matt on this journey, and to get started cooking the food I enjoy eating. It’s something we have been planning as a team for a long time and it is wonderful seeing everything come to fruition.”

Matthew added: “We wanted to keep some of what is so special about Perilla, and for us that meant maintaining a friendly neighbourhood approach. Therefore it was integral we opened Morchella in a busy area with a real sense of community. Exmouth Market already has one of the most vibrant food cultures we’ve found across London and ticked all the boxes for our neighbourhood requirement.”

The opening sample menu features dishes from across southern Europe, with Italy to the fore. Fish and seafood plates outnumber meat two-to-one, and vegetables also make a strong showing – including mushroom panzerotti, which may or may not include the morchella or morels of the name. Wines are sourced from specialist importers including Keeling Andrew of Noble Rot fame.