Ex-Rotorino chef Alex Jackson to open first restaurant Sardine

The former Rotorino head chef will launch Sardine in an annexe at the Parasol art gallery in Old Street.

Jackson is aiming to create a ‘buzzy, no-nonsense restaurant’ serving up food inspired by Provence, Languedoc, Sardinia and the Almafi Coast.

Dishes will include Hand-made Malloreddus Pasta with Salami, Dandelion and Ricotta; Leg of lamb A La Ficelle, with White Beans and Anchovy​; and a whole rabbit cooked to share.

Parle is on board to guide his former head chef through the opening and will be involved in operational support and management of the restaurant.

He said: “Alex is a rare talent. A cook so at ease and naturally skilled he knows he doesn't have to over complicate things. 

"Unlike one of those ageing Michelin-starred chefs who has gone from making egotistical attention-seeking food to the realisation that really all they and everyone else wants to cook and eat is ratatouille and lamb cooked over wood: Alex is already there. Cooking the food of a mythical Mediterranean granny.

"I for one can't wait to eat at his restaurant. All the time. It's that kind of food.”

Jackson was head chef at Parle’s Dock Kitchen for five years before moving to Rotorino in Dalston, winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

He then moved to Mons Cheesemongers to learn about the craft of the affineur - overseeing the aging of cheese.

Sardine at Parasol will open on 15 Micawber Street in May.