Wagamama founder Alan Yau has announced that he will launch Mozzasando, an Italian-influenced katsu sando bar, in London early next year.
Yau’s take on the sando – the aesthetically pleasing, crustless Japanese sandwich – comes in partnership with Italian mozzarella bar group Obicà.
The menu at Mozzasando will fuse the popular Asian snack, which is usually filled with a deep fried meat cutlet, with the flavours of the Milanese, a parallel Italian recipe for breaded veal or chicken.
The sandwiches will be served with french fries, which can topped with beef ragu with nduja sauce, and will be available either to take away or eat in at the no reservations, 32-cover site in South Kensington.
Yau has credited Frank Salvoni's now-closed Britalian sandwich bar on Wardour Street as inspiration.
“Frank always joked, ‘Mate, what Pret took in the form of the Prawn Mayo is only half of our unpolished diamond. What they missed is the Milanese in a baguette, focaccia, or ciabatta – that’s the f****** vindaloo’.”
“I always wondered in the soul-searching moments for that golden goose whether Frank’s Milanese could become the new champion for an Italian fast food concept. Imagine... if this could merge with the Japanese aesthetics of the katsu sando.”
This is the fourth venture Yau is set to open in 2020, having revealed to the Standard in September that he will launch upmarket ventures Chyna and Yau Grilling in Canary Wharf, as well as a new location for his Turkish pizza concept Yamabahçe in Westfield London.
Mozzasando will open on January 20, 96 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AD
