Farang’s Highbury Residency Extended to January 2018

Seb Holmes — the chef and owner of Thai pop-up Farang — has told Eater that his residency at San Daniele in Highbury will be extended at least until January 2018.

Holmes is among the milieu of so-called Nu-Thai chefs — together with Kiln and Smoking Goat’s Ben Chapman and Som Saa’s Mark Dobie and Andy Oliver — who have completely re-energised the cuisine in London over the past two years.

Holmes was part of the small team that opened Smoking Goat in 2015, but before that had worked at what is arguably the progenitor of London’s renascent Thai scene — The Begging Bowl in Peckham.

“Farang” — which, appropriately — basically means “foreigner cooking Thai,” began as a street food operation, evolved into a supperclub and private catering business, and at the start of this year arrived, with semi-permanence, at Holmes’ step-father’s Italian restaurant, which had recently closed. His mum ran front-of-house with unpretentious elan; the reviews were rave. It was the first pop up for years that felt underground, such was the bizarre juxtaposition of hyper-seasonal, largely very authentic Thai food being run out in a dated neighbourhood Italian restaurant in a suburban part of north London.

As many suspected, Holmes disclosed to Eater that he is, “currently talking with the landlord about taking the place on full time, in which case we would re-decorate and ‘Farang the place up’ early in the new year.”

Check back for more details and confirmation when we have them.