Jago, a relaxed restaurant with Southern European, Middle Eastern and Ashkenazi influences, will open at Second Home, 68-80 Hanbury Street in Shoreditch, in December.
East London fact alert… Jago takes its name from the colloquial title given to an area stretching from Shoreditch High Street to Spitalfields in the 1860s. Boom! Learn something new everyday at Crummbs!
This is a virgin venture for Head Chef, Louis Solley (formerly Head Chef of Ottolenghi, Notting Hill), Hugo Thurston (formerly General Manager of Morito) and successful entrepreneur Vinny Burke.
Hugo and Vinny have been friends for 20 years and met their co-owner Louis merely days after finding the perfect opportunity for a solo project. The three immediately bonded over a round of Gibson cocktails and the discovery that they shared a vision to create a relaxed and informal restaurant – of course with excellent food and drinks whilst being decidedly unselfconscious.
The menus reflect the expertise and training of the co-owners, with Southern European and Middle Eastern influences at the fore, but Louis also brings his East-London Jewish roots for an individual style of food that emphasises pleasure, generosity, and bright, bold flavours.
Breakfast and lunch will be offered both in the restaurant or to take away, with breakfast dishes to include Grilled Challah bread with labneh and house compote (£4.50) Fresh figs, goat’s curd, honey, toasted coriander (£5.50) and Spiced baked beans and eggs (£6.00). A flexible A la carte will accommodate guests looking for something quick and exciting or a more leisurely multi-course repast. Changing selections of salads and grilled dishes will include Grilled cauliflower, endive, almonds and sultanas; Cured cucumbers, dill, anchovies, sour cream and sweet paprika; Miso marinated onglet; and Harissa marinated mackerel (All at £6).
Other seasonal highlights will include Grilled apples and sardines, walnuts and rainbow chard (£7.50), Prawn bisque, bomba rice and parsley oil (£7); Stewed octopus, roast fennel and lovage yoghurt (£10.00) and Braised lamb, dates and carrots, black olive and parsley picada (£14.00). To round off proceedings, Poached quince, saffron cream and sable biscuit, Chocolate and olive oil mousse, sea salt and hazelnuts; and Pina Colada – rum soaked coconut and lime cake, grilled pineapple and Malibu cream are designed to tempt (all £6).
There will be a wide selection of wines available by the glass (125ml from £3, 250ml from £6) and carafe (from £12) and a bottle only list representing outstanding value for those that want to push the boat out. The focus will be Spain and the South of France, with an emphasis on small independent growers who produce wines of personality, freshness and drinkability.
There will be a concise list of classic cocktails, with the boys’ favourite, the Gibson, a pickled-onion-garnished, super-dry gin martini taking pride of place. The drink offering will be augmented by carefully selected boutique aperitifs and spirits, and craft beer by draft and bottle.
Despite the revolution that London’s coffee culture has undergone in the last ten years, there are still only a handful or restaurants taking the same seasonal approach to coffee that they do to food and wine. AGM Jonathan Robson will bring all his knowledge and expertise to bear on the Jago coffee offering, working with local roasters such as Workshop to bring in fresh crop beans from Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Kenya on both espresso and filter.
Well, we can’t wait! But wait we shall…until, fingers crossed, December 2014. Watch this space!
Jago
68-80 Hanbury Street
London
E1 5JL
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday 8am – 10pm
Sunday – closed
Kitchen hours:
Breakfast: 8am – 11am
Lunch: 12pm – 3pm
Dinner: 6pm – 10pm
Twitter and Instagram @jagorestaurant
Telephone: 020 3818 3241
Email: info@jagorestaurant.com, bookings@jagorestaurant.com
