Pidgin's James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy to open Magpie
James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy, co-founders of the Michelin-starred Pidgin in Hackney, east London, are set to open their next restaurant, Magpie.
The 54-cover site will be opening in June on Heddon Street, off Regent Street, as a modern British interpretation of dim sum restaurants with diners choosing plates from a trolley.
On arrival guests will be greeted by a drinks trolley of pre-mixed cocktails developed by general manager Ajax Kentish, including Smoke off the Mountain, a rum-based Manhattan-style drink that combines Ron Zacapa 23 and Lagavulin 16; and I'm Jim Morrison I'm Dead, with rye, oloroso, and cherry liqueur.
Ramsden has written a wine list championing smaller, independent vineyards, and lesser known regions and grapes, with a small bias towards California.
The trolley will offer small plates such as mackerel crudo with blueberry kosho and fennel pollen, and Hoi An-style terrine with nukazuke pickles. Trays of hot dishes will include udon noodles with paitan broth, calabrese sausage and cavolo nero, and grilled celeriac with gjetost and a watermelon barbecue sauce.
A small a la carte menu will also be available, including a few Pidgin favourites such as Galician dairy cow with lobster, pommes de terre sarladaises and charred lettuce; and cod, fried enoki, fermented jerusalem artichoke and cep oil. Desserts will include a strawberry panzanella with olive oil ice cream, and a ‘prickly' pear with roasted miso custard and hibiscus, as well as a secret, off menu dish.
The restaurant will feature a poured concrete bar with leather stools, with interiors influenced by both Asia and California, combining canvas-hung walls with burnt wood tiling and a landscape imprinted on the restaurant's back wall.
Herlihy added: "It's less of a 'sharing' thing than just a fun restaurant with damn delicious food. If people want to share their food then great - I do - but we want guests to feel more in control of their dinner and not have to fret over how to halve the third croquette."
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