Massimo Bottura creates Refectory-inspired dish available at Café Monico through June

For the first time, Massimo Bottura has donated a recipe to a restaurant other than his own. A celebrated chef of three-Michelin-stars, Bottura and his Osteria Francescana won multiple awards, including first place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 and still currently the best in Europe. You can now try one of his dishes in London for just £13 while making a charitable contribution.

Fusilli with Breadcrumb Pesto is served at Café Monico, a French-Italian brasserie on Shaftesbury Avenue, in support of Refettorio Felix, Bottura’s community kitchen set up to tackle food waste and to feed the “homeless and socially vulnerable”. £4 of every dish sold is donated to the restaurant which is run by the non-profit organisation Food for Soul and food-waste charity The Felix Project.

The dish is available through June at the Café Monico, and is in correspondence with the London Food Month, using ingredients such as basil, mint, lemon thyme, anchovies, grana padano, extra virgin olive oil and – instead of pine nuts – breadcrumbs. Perfectly al dente and bursting with flavour, the pasta is simple yet delicious. The gratin breadcrumbs, sprinkled atop, add a satisfying crunch to the fusilli, which is coated generously with pesto. It is a testament to what a chef can do with surplus ingredients instead of throwing them away. Bottura personally trained the kitchen to achieve amn impeccable result.

The London Food Month is an exciting new food festival, featuring an outdoor Night Market (launching tonight), over 400 events across the capital and of course, Bottura’s third Refettorio (the first two are in Milan and Rio de Janeiro). The festival’s Night Market will include 50 of London’s best street food stalls as well as top chefs and restaurants such as Angela Hartnett, Fortnum & Mason and The Cheese Truck. In addition, Bottura will be partaking in a Q&A on his Refettorio Felix.

Café Monico provides a wide selection of French and Italian dishes, including Veal Milanese and Chicken Paillard, accompanied by confit garlic and sage. The restaurant is part of the Soho House group that supports the Felix Project with £4 for every fusilli dish served and £1 from every other dish across Electric Diner, High Road Brasserie, Dean Street Townhouse, Hoxton Grill, Hubbard & Bell and Cafe Monico.

Bottura’s Fusilli with Breadcrumb Pesto is an appetising reminder of all the hard work he has put into the Refettorio Felix and the admirable cause it goes towards.

Olivia Cal
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

Fusilli with Breadcrumb Pesto is available at Café Monico through June as a starter (£9) or main portion (£13). Refettorio Felix is not open to the general public, everyone has the chance to take a tour during weekday visiting hours from 4-5pm. For further information visit here.

Watch our interview with chef Massimo Bottura on Refettorio Felix here: