One place I never expected to see closing was Leytonstone High Road’s classy (and often packed) Sardinian restaurant Mora.
It’s pretty much documented my time living in the area, from being the first place I raced to when I moved here to being the location of an early hot date with my current squeeze. That wild boar ragu (pictured above left)? Wow. Smoked tuna carpaccio? Awesome (read one of my reviews here).
And yet somehow – despite always being busy on my visits – it’s sadly no more. I spoke to owners Silvia and Carlo to find out why – and, of course, surprise surprise, it’s the usual story of landlord greed.
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“We decided to close now because our lease expired and the landlord was asking for a higher price on a longer contract,” said Silvia.
“So we evaluated the situation and with the cost of everything (from energy to ingredients, you name it) going up, difficulty to find staff for the kitchen and consequently us being overworked and with no time for ourselves, we decided it was time to put our family first and go for a break.”
At least, she added, “we had a great response from customers, and we really closed on a high. It’s been intense, quite emotional with some people who have become a lot more than just customers. And we couldn’t ask for a better end.”
The reality is though that “they are not planning to open another place for now. We need a break.”
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