The group, operated by chef proprietor Ross Shonhan with executive head chef Tom Moxon – also of Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden and Shackfuyu in Soho – is to open the two-storey site on James Street in the St Christopher’s Place restaurant area. There will be a nine-seater L-shaped bar, while the basement space will have a 14-seat communal table.
There will be an open kitchen – with a robata grill ‒ at the back of the ground floor, allowing guests to see to the chefs at work.
The new menu, created by Shonhan and group executive chef Tom Moxon, will include ramen, robata-grilled and wok-fried dishes, with familiar touches from the group’s other menus, as well as new dishes for James Street.
A new “Kushiyaki” section will feature slow-cooked robata-grilled skewers of different ingredients, including chicken, ox cheek, salmon, prawns and shiitake mushrooms marinated in kimchee butter and sweet chilli ponzu.
Wok dishes will be along the lines of the Yaki Soba with stir-fried buckwheat noodles with egg, cabbage, spring onions and bonito flakes, and the vegetarian Chahan, with egg fried rice, shiitake mushrooms, pickled ginger and ao nori.
Design-wise, the interior will take inspiration from Japanese street style, and has been created by B3 Designers. It will aim to evoke the atmosphere of a bustling, urban marketplace with repurposed sake crates as stools, cage storage and overlapping layers of timber, tiling and metal grille lining the walls to create the look of urban food stalls.
Downstairs, there will be a hand-painted mural with red neon Japanese script.
The drinks list will include a range of Japanese beers, cider, sake and wine, and cocktails such as the signature Yuzu Margarita, plus a range of freshly squeezed juices including Honeydew Melon, Kiwi, and Shiso & Cucumber.
Commenting on the launch, Shonhan said: “2017 is set to be a big year for us with the opening of James Street and then a further new site in Victoria. For both we are excited to share new dishes with our customers and keep diversifying the Bone Daddies offering.
“I am particularly excited about the new robata and wok dishes…as working with charcoal grills has been something we have been looking to build into the menu for some time.”
Bone Daddies first opened as a ramen bar in 2012, and seeks to bring influences from Japanese street food to London. Originally started in Soho, the group now runs to six sites - growing to eight including Marylebone and Victoria - including the Flesh & Buns "izakaya" in Covent Garden, and Shackfuyu in Soho.