Chef Gizzi Erskine Will Open First Solo Restaurant in Hackney

Chef Gizzi Erskine will open her first solo restaurant as part of the new Mare Street Market development in Hackney in March this year. The 60 to 70-cover restaurant will open within the new warehouse project — the multi-use space will also include a deli overseen by Erskine, as well as a florist, café, podcast studio and record shop.

The project was initially being overseen by the chef and restaurateur Nuno Mendes, who was reported to be opening a new solo project in the space back in July. However, a spokesperson for Mendes today told Eater that is no longer involved with Mare Street Market. “He was doing some consultancy in the early stages but the contract ended in August,” they said.

The Caterer reports that Erskine is “co-founding the market alongside Marc Francis-Baum (co-founder and owner of BarWorks, which owns 17 pubs and 10 restaurants in London) who owns the market; and Phillip Way, head of operations and co-owner of Flying Horse Coffee, which will also operate within the market.”

The restaurant menus are designed by Erskine, who is best-known for her TV work, food writing and the recent announcement of Pure Filth — a “healthy fast food” offering that will open in the Tate Modern museum, in partnership with the nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson, in the spring. Erskine trained as a chef at Leith’s School of Food and Wine and will design the menus as executive chef, but install an as yet unnamed head chef to run the kitchen day-to-day.

The restaurant, marketed as a “London brasserie meets California kitchen” will see menu items such as:

• Wood-fired pizzas: including one with spicy tomato sauce and anchovy; and tomato, olive oil, Burrata and basil
• Fried mozzarella ‘sandwiches’
• “Gourmet” burgers
• Steak tartare, egg and bone marrow with Marmite soldiers
• Shellfish with roasted prawn shell Marie rose
• Sunday roasts
• Rotisserie chicken
• Chips and schmaltz with wild garlic béarnaise
• Whole fired Buffalo cauliflower, pickled celery and Gorgonzola cream sauce
• There’s a raw bar
• Naturally, there’ll be a significant brunch leaning at weekends with a “bespoke egg menu” and a bottomless bloody Mary counter

Erskine told Eater London: “Hackney’s been my home for the last 15 years. I’ve grown up in it and I seen its evolution. I wanna be able to contribute to its growth with Mare Street Market, by using local Hackney producers and making simple, but delicious dishes inspired the produce itself, by what goes on around me and my travels. Am I scared about opening my first place? Yes, but more excited, and pleased to have the opportunity to show what I’m made of.”