Cent Anni to open in former Cafe Med, St John’s Wood

Cent Anni will move into the grand Grade II listed Victorian villa in Loudoun Road that was occupied for 25 years by legendary brasserie Cafe Med.

The Italianate building at the corner of Loudoun Road and Blenheim Road has had a transformational revamp and opens on March 1 as a 48-seat restaurant.

The Victorian building was originally The Blenheim pub and hotel but for the last 25 years was well known brasserie Cafe Med. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

But it was originally The Blenheim hotel and the scene of a shocking murder in 1921 when a man named Thomas Thom stormed into the bar wielding a large metal door-bolt and smashed it down on to landlord Harry Blackmore’s head.

Blackmore died instantly and Thom was caught and sent to Broadmoor.

The new restaurant boasts a large terrace seating 60, two private dining rooms on the first floor, and a pale colour palette, with light walnut wood flooring, olive and seaweed leather and velvet banquettes, a working fireplace, and an open kitchen.

Cent Anni will serve fresh pasta and wines (Image: Cent Anni)

It will be a sister venue to Cent Anni in Wimbledon High Street, which opened in 2019 under owner Raymond de Fazio championing an informal style of drinking and dining.

He says: “This is a restaurant for the neighbours but we also want to appeal to a broader London audience, whether for family gatherings, dinner with friends or colleagues, or drinks and snacks on the terrace.

“Our private rooms are also ideal for celebrations or meetings. The transformation from Café Med has been inspired by the success of our Wimbledon Village restaurant, and we are confident that our warm hospitality and Italian cuisine will truly appeal in north London.”

The menus are overseen by head chef Elton Souta da Silva and blend classic and contemporary Italian dishes.

Expect the likes of calamari fritti with lemon mayonnaise; vitello tonnato; arancini cacio e pepe; salmon tartare or burrata with Sicilian datterini tomatoes for starters.

Pasta and risotto dishes include linguine with king prawns or rigatoni with lamb ragù with mains such as veal Milanese with rocket and parmesan salad or oven-baked cod with broccolini and roast cherry tomatoes.

For those with a sweet tooth there are desserts such as Amalfi lemon tart, tiramisù; and vanilla panna cotta with blood orange marmalade.

Cent Anni opens on March 1 at 21 Loudoun Road, St John’s Wood. centanni.co.uk