A new restaurant is set to open in Richmond this week with olive oil at the centre of the dining experience.

Sudi, at 106–108 Kew Road is turning one of Italy's most familiar ingredients into a full dining experience from Friday, 4 September 6pm.

From the team behind Tarantella in Chiswick, they are bringing olive oil 'sommeliers', an olive-shaped sharing dessert and olive-inspired cocktails to diners in Richmond.

Sudi, inspired by the food and traditions of Puglia in southern Italy, is celebrating olive oil throughout the restaurant.

Owner Luciana Palmieri, who is from Puglia and moved to London in 2015, said: "Olive oil is such an important part of life in Puglia.

"It's on the table at almost every meal and it is something we grow up understanding and appreciating.

"At Sudi, we wanted to celebrate that, but we also wanted to have fun with it.

"The 'Press for Olive Oil' button is deliberately playful. It takes something very traditional and turns it into a little moment of theatre at the table.

"And then there is the over-sized 'Oliva' dessert. We want people to see it arriving at another table and immediately ask: 'What is THAT?'"

At the heart of the concept is the playful 'Press for Olive Oil' feature, allowing guests to call for olive oil at the touch of a button.

Once pressed, an olive oil 'sommelier' will arrive at the diners' table and offer samples of some of Puglia's finest, giving tips on tasting and how best to enjoy it, before pouring it at the table and leaving it for them to enjoy.

The Oliva dessert, which is available to pre-order only, is a delicious combination of pistachio mousse with a chocolate 'stone' - delivering two generous servings.

Meanwhile, the olive-inspired cocktails include:

• Oro Verde Martini: olive oil-washed gin, dry vermouth, lemon oils and sea salt
• Frantoio Sour: olive oil-washed bourbon, rosemary honey and lemon
• Olio e caffe: olive oil-washed vodka espresso, coffee liquer and amaretto

The Sudi team shut Tarantella, famous for its indulgent 2kg tiramisu, to make way for the new Richmond location.

Luciana added: "The tiramisu became something people specifically came to try.

"We loved seeing the reaction it created. With Sudi, we wanted to do something completely different but keep that same sense of fun and generosity, whilst demonstrating the respect we have for one of Puglia's most important ingredients.

"Olive oil shouldn't simply be something that appears on the table in a bottle and gets poured without thought.

"A great olive oil has provenance, character and flavour, just like a great wine, and we want to encourage people to talk about it, taste it and appreciate it in exactly the same way.

"The olive oil sommelier may be playful, but the respect behind it is very real."

Sudi takes its inspiration from Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, a region renowned for its olive groves, seafood, handmade pasta and simple, ingredient-led cooking.

Rather than treating olive oil as an accompaniment, the restaurant is making it one of the stars of the experience.

The menu itself draws on the traditional flavours and convivial style of eating associated with southern Italy, with dishes such as fresh, homemade pasta, steak and fish cooked on an open fire and traditional Puglian dishes such as cozze gratinate (mussels stuffed with breadcrumbs, pecorino, garlic and parsley), frito misto and baccala olio cottura (oil-poached salt cod with tomato confit and pepper cream sauce).

Luciana continued: "We want people to walk into Sudi and feel a little bit of Puglia in Richmond. Puglian food is about sharing, talking, eating well and staying at the table longer than you meant to.

"If people leave having had a brilliant meal, pressed a button for olive oil and taken a photograph of a giant olive, we'll be very happy."

106–108 Kew Road, previously home to Rock & Rose, was let to Sudi with the assistance of commercial estate agent, Martin Campbell.

To learn more about Sudi visit its website here.

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