Fork & Blade to open Aegean restaurant on former Piquet site

Fork & Blade, the group behind The Black Penny coffee house in Covent Garden and Islington fish restaurant Trawler Trash, has announced plans to open a Aegean inspired restaurant bar on the former site of Piquet restaurant in London. 

Firedog will open for breakfast and lunch later this month on Newman Street in Fitzrovia, in the space formerly occupied by Allan Pickett and Andre Blais' restaurant Piquet which shut last September.

The two-storey restaurant's menu will feature dishes 'influenced by the street food of Greece and Turkey' cooked over an olive wood chip fired grill. 

Fork & Blade executive chef George Notley has introduced a strict 'no avocado' policy for breakfast with menu highlights including the Crispy Sujuk sandwich (Sujuk beef ‘chorizo’, served on wholemeal sourdough with dill mayo, sweet chilli, fresh tomatoes and lambs lettuce); Flaked smoked mackerel on grilled sourdough with sumac onions, fresh parsley and drizzled with dill oil and Grilled stone fruit with kaymak, honey, salted pistachios and brioche toast. 

Drinks will include The Firedog espresso, Sumac and Za’tar Beer and homemade syrup infusions such as preserved lemon & ginger and pomegranate & blood orange. 

Fork & Blade said Firedog, named after the stone fire dogs that were used in the earliest form of grilled cooking, would open for dinner and late-night drinks from March. 

As well as The Black Penny and Trawler Trash, the company also operates men's grooming company Ted's Grooming Room and is set to launch a global boutique hotel brand Green Walnut.