Fully charged
A disused electricity power station may not seem like an obvious site for an eaterie, but since the Light Bar & Restaurant opened in just such a venue on Shoreditch High Street in London in April, it has been sparking the interest of locals.
The establishment's 85-seat dining room is already attracting an average of 30 customers at lunch, 50 at dinner on weekday evenings, and 90 on Friday and Saturday evenings. But, according to head chef Steven Hillen, it's impossible to count the numbers visiting the 280-capacity bar, because it's "pumping" every night.
Diners are largely City business folk, particularly at lunchtime, with a sprinkling of local young people. "We're already starting to see some familiar faces in the restaurant and we really hope it'll become the sort of place people visit once or twice a week," says Hillen.
So that regulars can enjoy a variety of dishes, and in order to retain the enthusiasm of his six-strong brigade, Hillen offers an extensive menu. This boasts seven starters, a seafood section with seven items, a four-strong pasta and risotto section, nine main courses and five desserts.
The current best-selling starters are a crispy lemon risotto cake, wild mushrooms and field mushrooms, saffron beurre blanc (£6.50) and pan-fried pigeon breast, cabbage, red onion jam and a balsamic reduction (£7). Much to Hillen's pleasure, many tables are ordering, in addition to a starter, a plate of half-a-dozen oysters with shallot vinaigrette, pickled lemon and chilli salsa and Bloody Mary dressing (£6.50) from the seafood section. "The oysters almost walk out the door as soon as they're delivered. City people love them," he says.
When it comes to main courses, the most popular dishes are grilled salmon, aubergine blinis, grilled vegetables and tapenade sauce (£9.50), pan-fried sea bass, saffron risotto cake, wilted greens, vanilla butter vinaigrette (£14) and oxtail in crépinette, celeriac purée, roast shallots, root vegetables (£11.50).
"The popularity of the oxtail is a surprise," says Hillen. "But maybe because it was banned for a while, people want to indulge in it now."
At dessert, most diners choose fresh plum tart and vanilla ice-cream (£4.50), and the cheese plate (£4.50) is also selling strongly, says Hillen. He serves the latter with his home-made fig and red onion chutney.
On Sundays, when the restaurant is open from noon to 4pm only, Hillen offers a separate menu. Among the eight "brunch-style" dishes are scrambled eggs with cured salmon on brioche (£6), Baby Gem Caesar salad with pancetta and anchovies (£5) and chargrilled marinated leg of lamb in focaccia with mixed leaves and salsa verde (£5.75).
Hillen says his plan is to change individual dishes on the menus on an ad hoc basis. "When the boys in the kitchen get fed up with a dish, it's time to do something different," he says. n
The Light Bar & Restaurant, 233 Shoreditch High Street, London E1.
Tel: 020 7247 8989
