Polpo duo to open fifth site Mishkin's
Russell Norman (pictured) and Richard Beatty, owners of popular London restaurants Polpo and Spuntino, will launch their fifth site this autumn, with the opening of Mishkin's in Covent Garden.
The duo, who also own Polpetto and da Polpo, have taken over a site on Catherine Street in the heart of the theatre district and will open the new restaurant mid-November.
Mishkin's will be inspired by New York's Lower East Side and east London's cafés, combining a "Jewish deli with cocktails".
"As with all of my restaurants the inspiration for Mishkin's has come from me wanting to do something that I like and that I felt was missing in London," Russell told Caterer and Hotelkeeper.
"I love the old Jewish delis of the Lower East Side in New York and the traditional East End cafés in London, which are sadly starting to disappear."
Mishkin's menu, developed by Norman and group head chef Tom Oldroyd, will offer dishes such as Brick Lane salt beef on soda bread, a classic Ruben sandwich on rye, oxtail cholent, cod cheek popcorn and house-smoked beef brisket hash and eggs.
Meanwhile the cocktail list will feature classic drinks from the 1930s and 1940s with an emphasis on gin.
Accommodating up to 52 diners, Mishkin's will feature leather booths and bar seating, with art deco-inspired interiors featuring a copper and mahogany sound booth from the BBC Television Centre in White City.
Unlike Polpo and Spuntino, Mishkin's will take bookings for lunch and for dinner and will open all day, seven days a week.
Russell said he and Beatty were up against a number of other operators to secure the site. "We had to go and give a presentation at the Shaftesbury Estate headquarters," he said.
When asked about future plans, Russell added: "I have lots of ideas in my head that are keeping me awake at night and I would love to open more restaurants. But for now I want to concentrate on getting Mishkin's off the ground and totally right."
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By Kerstin Kühn
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