We recentlysaw the opening ofUrban Coterie, another exciting venture that falls beneath the ‘bistronomy’ movement that has taken off in the UK over the last few years.
These new dining venues offer an informal and more accessible fine dining experience, where the focus is on British produce and seasonality.
The ‘bistronomy’ movement was a term first coined in 2006 when Anthony Demetre launched Arbutus in Soho, which was then swiftly followed by the highly acclaimed Wild Honey, in Mayfair, in 2007. For this latest project Demetre teamed up Luxury hospitality brand Searcys, to create an even more simplified version of fine dining that takes its inspiration from the surrounding architecture, traditional materials, and local produce available.
With the restaurant being located on the 17th floor of the M by Montcalm hotel and coming complete with a ‘Sky Bar’ overlooking the cityscape, and an exclusive private members club due to open in early 2016, Urban Coterie is expected to be the new hit dining experience in the city.
Anthony Demetre commented on the latest venture by saying, “I love east London for its infectious energy and I’m excited to be opening Urban Coterie here with Searcys. Today, cooking can be unnecessarily over-complicated and our approach lets seasonal ingredients do the talking. I’m fortunate to have the talented Martin Zahumensky as Head Chef as his cooking ethos is very much in line with mine.”
With Martin Zahumensky heading up the kitchens, he is no stranger to this style of gastronomy with former roles at acclaimed restaurants Texture and Hibiscus. With monthly changing menu’s and an emphasis on championing produce from the British landscape, whilst teaming this up with boutique growers and biodynamic wines, highlights from the menu are keeping us firmly at the edge of our seats. Dishes to tempt our taste buds include starters like pigs head with ‘ndjua’ mayonnaise, potato doughnuts with parmesan, Brixham crab, apple, and celeriac, ox tongue with green vegetables, crisp tripe and oyster mayonnaise, as well as signature mains such as pork belly, carrots, grapefruit and liquorice, grilled monkfish with cockles, kale, rosemary and anchovy vinaigrette, and sharing platters of veal shin roast vegetables and grass-fed rib of beef. Desserts will also follow the British theme with classic dishes like English custard tart, warm chocolate mousse with toasted rice ice cream featuring on the delicious menu.
With such a massive rise in popularity for this style of gourmet cuisine in a casual environment, perhaps this is the future face of fine dining.
151-157 City Rd
London
EC1V 1JH
+44 20 3837 3108