French restaurant group Big Mamma to open first London venture

Paris-based restaurant group Big Mamma is to open its first London venture called Gloria in Shoreditch, pairing Italian cuisine with flamboyant interiors.

Instagram @bigmamma.uk

Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux are the restauranteurs behind the Big Mamma group which includes La Felicitá, Pink Mamma, and six other businesses in Paris. Gloria is set to be followed by a second London-based restaurant on Fitzrovia’s Rathbone Square.

Gloria’s menu will feature cacio e pepe pasta inside a wheel of cheese, a 10-layer lasagne, lobster risotto and a lemon meringue pie with an over-all theme of decadently sized dishes designed for sharing.

Rumoured to be a tribute to chef de cuisine Alberto Suardi, the ‘Youporn’ pizza will consist of smoked mozzarella, parmesan cream, broccoli, fennel salami and olives. The wine list will start at £23 for the house Trebbiano or Sangiovese, and include a carefully chosen selection of Barolos.

Pasta, coffee, ice cream, limoncello and beer will be produced in-house.

Lugger and Seydoux said “We do that because that’s how they do it in Italy. Plus it’s way more fun and ensures we have kick-ass quality and 100 percent traceability. Our entire team is young, gutsy, passionate and Italian, and to us – that’s what matters most.”

Located on the corner of Great Eastern Street and Charlotte Street on the former site of Red’s True Barbecue, Gloria will seat 160 people over two floors. The ground floor promises to be a homage to the glamour of Capri in the 1950s to 1970s with ornate pink and gold decor. The basement, licensed until 2am Thursday to Saturday, will feature velour banquettes and a mirrored ceiling.

Gloria will open on 22 February.