Chap Bistro is the sort of chef London needs more of
Restaurants in London desperately need to be more fun. Yes, they should serve sustainable food, but surely ethical sourcing has evolved into an expectation rather than a concept by this stage – just be sustainable and stop talking about it.
What this overworked city desperately needs is more humour and light heartedness. Gloria in Shoreditch bought an element of that with its kitschy interiors that give off the impression that the restaurant is a grand old Italian trattoria, but mostly London restaurants take themselves too seriously. The chef should cook serious food, but the guests want to lose themselves.
I haven’t met him, but I think chef Angus Kitchin gets this on some level. His Chap Bistro concept focuses on wellspun French bistro dishes – but arriving with tonnes of charm and cheek.
Chap Bistro returns to London on 28 February
Describing his new skate wing, lemon and samphire dish on social media, he wrote: “Once again I’m not entirely sure what to say about this beyond that it’s really nice.” Talking about his dish of Lentilles et Deux Viandes, he wrote: “I have very little to say about this. It’s just really tasty… Decadent, but not overly gouty.”
We went into The Haggerston pub in east London to Chap Bistro’s recent residency and found great, simple food served with humour and heart. His steak frites were to die for. After developing a fanbase in east with the likes of Gizzi Irskine and wine writer Hannah Crosbie, we’re excited to see which dreary kitchen Chap Bistro perks up next. For a start, you can catch him later this month at the Shoreditch Arts Club for more humour and honest food.
On Friday 28th February Kitchin cooks at the Shoreditch Arts Club and tickets are available