The Greeks call it meraki I believe, a beautiful word, my Greek friend smiled when I asked her what it meant... "oh" she said, "but there's no English word for this.". The definition is lightly:
to leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work. When you love doing something, anything, so much that you put something of yourself into it.
She said, "like cooking with meraki, it's from your soul, yes?"
And here's the point I'm making as I skip from Greece to Italy, because the Belpassi Bros restaurant concept has been created, strategised and now physically cooked by twins Lorenzo and Livio Belpassi with pure meraki.
Belpassi Bros launched their first series of pop-up restaurant evenings in July 2014 as a prelude for more to come and they certainly did not disappoint. Created by the twins following a trip through Italy where they discovered their heritage, mostly by eating half of the country I believe.
On their return, the boys decided London's young and chic professionals needed homemade meatballs made of the finest Italian produce with a little bit of cucina di mamma thrown in on top. The concept also owes much of its warm Italian family feeling to their late father, as they created the company very much in the memory of their beloved Papa who is at the heart of what Belpassi Bros is all about.
The twins have done it so well because they have the best of both worlds, the Italian pallet and warmth with the English boarding-school education and London lifestyle, ergo trendy meatballs in dappled Notting Hill sitting round one big table just like you would at your family home. (Italians obvs not take-out loving Brits).
The food is made with high quality ingredients and was loved by all around our table. From creamy Burratina with tomato salad to the actual balls themselves which where the tastiest I've ever had. No fear for non-meatball lovers, they do a brilliant veggie ball with Kale and goats cheese. This seem to satisfy even the fussiest of beefy ball-averse female. (enough puns yet)?
However the best thing about the Belpassi Bros is the atmosphere, during the evening, Livio is the cook, Lorenzo is the greeter/maitre-d/wine pourer/drinker and it feels like a family when you're eating with them.
I've known the boys nearly ten-years now, they are wonderful friends and I'm so proud of them, but I know am not biased in saying that their future endeavours will shine a warm-welcoming light through their restaurant windows into whatever corner of London that Belpassi Bros ends up in.
Get yourself there as soon as possible
Ciao for now.... Watch out for future Belpassi Bros events and pop-ups, coming soon.
Find out more: www.belpassibros.com
Twitter: @BelpassiBros
Facebook: facebook.com/belpassibros
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