Simon Whiteside, the chef and co-founder of renowned seafood restaurant, Hook in Camden, is opening his first solo restaurant, Roe at Pop Brixton today. Located in a shipping container, the restaurant will seat 32 guests including an outside terrace area. Roe will focus on sustainable seafood from the British and Irish coast using small, independent suppliers only.
“I’m so excited to be opening Roe next month. My wife Cairene and I have been talking about the Roe concept for a while now and we’re looking forward to opening and serving up tasty and affordable food. Opening a place without investors is daunting but it will give us the freedom to do so much more than before,” said Simon.
The ever-changing menu designed by chef owner, Whiteside will offer both small (£4-£9) and larger plates (£14-£16) drawing on Simon’s Irish heritage. Smaller dish highlights will include; Ink and Guinness soda bread with seaweed butter and accompanied with either mackerel pate, whipped smoked cod’s roe or house smoked salmon with horseradish; Grey mullet Poitin ceviche with cucumber and lime; Cuttlefish and ink arancini with pecorino foam and monkfish carpaccio with a roasted cauliflower puree and pickled shiitake.
Bigger options will feature the likes of; Ray wing with Jerusalem artichoke and wild mushrooms; Confit sea trout accompanied with sea greens and an oyster and sorrel emulsion; Spiced ling with fermented lentils, roast onion squash and chard plus a daily whole fish special. To finish, there will be sweet delights such as sea salt and brown butter blondies served with pistachio clotted cream. British and Irish cheese will also be available.
Sustainability is of great importance to Simon which is why when creating a drinks list, he made the decision to source all the spirits from the Sustainable Spirit Co. Using the environmentally friendly liquor, Roe will be muddling up a small flight of cocktails including the Honey and pear margarita, combining honey, pear, triple sec, tequila & rosemary; the Plum and thyme prosecco smash, a base of plum, thyme and vodka topped with prosecco; and the G & Tea, earl grey tea mixed with gin, cardamom and cinchona bark. There will also be a small selection of wines and beers, and soft drinks from Karma Cola.
The stripped back interiors will feature two communal tables made from reclaimed wood each seating eight guests, vintage style bulkhead lights along the wall and an open kitchen.
Roe is opening today and it will offer 50% off food until the 18th of November. Inside seating will be bookable with terrace tables being left for walk-ins only.
