Former Babbo chef to open Xier

Chef Carlo Scotto is opening his first solo restaurant, Xier, in December in London's Fitzrovia.

Scotto previously worked as a senior chef de partie at the Michelin-starred Murano under Angela Hartnett, as a sous chef at the Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle and as head chef at Babbo, all in London.

His first restaurant will serve modern European cuisine with global influences, inspired by his travels around Europe and Asia, his upbringing in Naples and his training under Hartnett.

Xier will be located on Thayer Street, which links Oxford Street and St Christopher's Place with Marylebone High Street. The restaurant will be split into two: the 62-cover ground floor casual dining concept XR, with a lunch and dinner menu, and Xier, a 38-cover first floor dining room offering a tasting menu.

The à la carte casual dining menu in XR will be priced at around £15-£24 for main courses and will include yellowfin tuna tartare served with aubergine caviar, garden salad and taro chips, as well as more classic dishes such as hanger steak, pickled walnuts, shallots, parsley and baby aubergine.

The tasting menu, at £90 for 10 courses, will include dishes such as obsi blue prawns served with wild fennel, wasabi caviar and raspberry, or rose-cured salmon with foie gras, burnt figs, leaf oil and citrus dressing.

Scotto said: "It's always been my ambition to open a restaurant that showcased what I love about food from around the world. Since I arrived, London is a place that has brought me incredible opportunities, so it felt right to open here and to showcase fantastic British produce. I'm excited to be opening a venue that will take people on their own culinary journey."

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