Simplicity is real recipe for success with the A-listers, says Aurora owner

An Italian restaurant popular with A-listers on the island of Capri opens in London next month — and its owner says the simple things are what keep the celebrities coming back.

Aurora counts Jay Z, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Giorgio Armani and Catherine Zeta-Jones among its fans from the worlds of music, fashion and film.

Mia D’Alessio, whose family have owned and run the restaurant for more than 100 years, told the Standard: “We have a tradition, we are a family. We have the best products and so this combination makes all the people who come to Capri come to Aurora.

“It’s the sensibility of simple things, the simple kitchen, but great food — that’s all they want. Three, four ingredients on each plate, and these are the things that make the restaurant famous — because we have in the world a bit too much of the restaurants with the extreme kitchens.”

The restaurant teams up with Mayfair’s Ristorante Frescobaldi for a week-long pop-up from November 18 to 26. Dishes being cooked by D’Alessio’s chef husband Franco Aversa include citrus roasted cod with almond fillet and Caprese ravioli stuffed with caciotta [cheese] in a tomato sauce.

D’Alessio said: “Our concept is to bring our traditional kitchen there. Very simple things, to bring our historic brand. To eat very simple in a simple way, it’s a healthy thing. A little olive oil, great food, simple, it’s the best combination for eating healthy.”

The restaurant boss, 44, revealed the locally caught fish, pezzogna, was a favourite of rapper Jay Z, while Beyoncé was a fan of Aurora’s signature pizza all’acqua. Other high profile guests have included singer John Legend and Steven Spielberg but D’Alessio stressed that the restaurant was not just for the rich and famous. “They are not the only ones. The important thing is also to make the customers feel at home.”

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