The stylish Italian restaurant
This long, low building on the clifftops has had a number of past lives but after an extensive renovation it’s reborn as an authentic, stylish Italian restaurant; today, the contemporary interior is flooded with light from the floor to ceiling windows.
Owner Chloe Ellis fitted Crittall windows, laid and polished a concrete floor and installed a magnificent central wood burning stove; doors opened on 3 June 2021.
After 14 years of running hotels in Whitby, Chloe and her husband David were looking for a new venture and Italy was their inspiration. “We’ve spent a lot of time there with wine producers and been taken to places you don’t find as regular tourists. We love the laid back Italian way of grazing at the bar, ordering a plate of this or that with a glass of good wine. That’s what we wanted to create back home.” They’ve absolutely pulled it off and the vibe is buzzy and fun; despite its newness, it feels established and bedded in.
The menu offers a decent range of pizzas as you’d imagine but a few surprises too. Box fresh fillet of fire baked sea bass with charred courgette, pepper and onion is a stunning starter, while wood fired lamb chops take on the flavour of the fire and are cooled down with tzatziki. A beautifully fresh Burrata sits on roasted nectarine with heritage tomatoes and mint.
Chef Simon Trueman brings good looking sourdough pizzas out of the huge oven: choose from the likes of Tuscan sausage, mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes, and Pizza Bianca (mozzarella, truffle, parmesan, olive oil, thyme). There are pasta dishes too: beef cheek ragu speaks of hours of cooking; it’s sticky, dark and delicious. A courgette, lemon, basil & feta salad adds a welcome freshness. Elsewhere you’ll find feta & spinach tortellini with brown butter and sage and Dolcelatte pappardelle with black pepper. “Everything is cooked in front of you and I think it creates a relaxed atmosphere. In this neck of the woods, we’re blessed with great local produce and of course the freshest fish, which my team love to use!” says David.
On a warm summer’s night, the doors are thrown open. Sit at the chef’s table with a plate of pasta and a glass of good wine; the views over the North Sea are stunning and if you’re lucky you’ll catch one of those famous Whitby sunsets.