New London Bridge Restaurant From Heston Blumenthal Alumni Announces Opening Date

Updated 18.09.19: with key dishes and opening date
Updated 20.08.19: with more details of key personnel.
Updated 9.07.19: with name and further details.

Ex Fat Duck duo — chef Jonny Lake and Master Sommelier Isa Bal — have confirmed that their London debut — a restaurant, wine bar, and cellar called Trivet — will open at the Snowsfields Yard development at London Bridge, on 29 October. It will take the site formerly occupied by Londrino, which closed earlier this year.

Trivet is described as “an informal, high-quality dining restaurant utilising the finest ingredients and wines and will aim to deliver an unrivalled taste experience.”

Dishes, which Lake says are “always inspired by the extraordinary culinary history and international diversity around us,” look to privilege exacting execution over reinventing any errant culinary wheels. There will also be a wine bar, serving smaller plates, with the restaurant menu including:

• Red mullet with pici pasta and artichokes
• Chicken with a vinegar sauce, mashed potato, glazed turnips, and trompette mushroom
• A baked potato mille-feuille, with sake and white chocolate mousse and a butter and sake gelato

Wines, selected by Bal, will traverse France and Italy as much as Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia, offering over 300 selections.

The duo, who worked together at Heston Blumenthal’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant for over 12 years, announced their collaboration one year ago. Since, rumours circulated about a potential Mayfair opening. But the hotly anticipated debut from a duo which fronted the world’s so-called best restaurant for over a decade appears to be flouting fine dining convention. Today, a statement says they will open “an informal, high-quality dining restaurant utilising the finest ingredients and wines, and will aim to deliver an unrivalled taste experience.”

The hotly anticipated new restaurant from duo Lake and Bal — chef and master sommelier, respectively — who spent a decade at Heston Blumenthal’s three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck, appears set on gutting the Berkshire restaurant of its senior team. Lake and Bal have announced the appointment of head chef, Michele Stanco and restaurant manager, Melissa Fergus, who spent a combined eight years working under Lake and Bal.

Trivet [Official Photo]

Stanco, from Campania in southern Italy, met Lake in 2012 he met Jonny Lake and began working in the pastry section at the Fat Duck. Two years later, he was promoted to sous chef and is said to have become “an integral part of the senior team.” In 2015, he traveled with the team that temporarily relocated the Fat Duck to Melbourne. In total, he worked as a chef at the Fat Duck for five years. An announcement described Stanco as bringing a “dedicated commitment to researching and sourcing the best and most interesting products and suppliers around the world.”

Elsewhere, restaurant manager, Fergus, from Melbourne, met the senior team during the Fat Duck’s pop-up in the city. She subsequently relocated to England and began a role as a junior waiter at the restaurant, in 2015. She later took part in the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts ‘Annual Awards of Excellence’ and won a service award. Fergus worked at the Fat Duck for a total of three years, leaving last November as assistant manager. She rejoined Lake and Bal, ahead of Trivet’s opening, this month.

The restaurant is scheduled to open in autumn 2019. No exact date has yet been confirmed. Lake said the name came about organically. “A trivet is an age-old cooking utensil — elevating pots over an open fire or providing a resting spot for dishes and pots.

“Trivet implies balance and warmth which forms part of our vision and values for the restaurant, as well as our working relationship,” he said.

Regarding the location, Bal said: “We were looking for an open and contemporary space in a vibrant area — somewhere relaxed and fun where we can celebrate what is in the glass and on the plate.”

Lake added: “The location ticked all the boxes — it is tucked away on a quiet street near London Bridge and Borough Market in an area that is fun, exciting and full of life.”

“Throughout the many years we have worked together, Jonny and I have always been in pursuit of inspired culinary excellence. At Trivet, we will showcase our explorations of ingredients, dishes and drinks from different regions around the world,” Bal said. “The design and experience of the restaurant will also be inspired from our travels, juxtaposing Nordic functionality with the warmth of the Mediterranean and a dose of fun.”

The 3,500 square feet space will feature a restaurant, wine bar, and cellar with seating for 75 guests in the dining room, and an additional 20-25 guests in the bar.

More soon.