Magpie will offer a modern British twist on traditional dim sum restaurants with a menu of small plates served straight off a trolley.
Diners will be able to cherry pick dishes including mackeral crudo with blueberry kosho and fennel pollen; and Hoi An-style terrine nukazuke pickles.
There will also be trays of hot dishes such as udon noodles served from the kitchen, alongside a small a la carte menu with a few Pidgin favourites such as Galician dairy cow with lobster, pommes sarladaises and charred lettuce.
It is the brainchild of James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy, who launched Pidgin in 2015 and have yet to repeat a dish on its weekly-changing menu.
“We’d discussed doing something like this before we even opened Pidgin – it seemed like a fun and novel approach to our current eating out habits, and a way of tackling some of the more frustrating aspects of ‘sharing’ plates,” says Ramsden.
The 54-cover restaurant will also feature a drinks trolley stocked with pre-mixed cocktails, alongside a full bar with mescal and wines.
“It’s less of a ‘sharing’ thing than just a fun restaurant with damn delicious food,” says Herlihy. “If people want to share their food then great – I do – but we want guests to feel more in control of their dinner and not have to fret over how to halve the third croquette.”
Pidgin won a star in the 2016 Michelin Guide and received rave reviews for its weekly-changing menu. The restaurant moved from a six to a five-day service this month to give its staff a break from the ‘demanding’ menu development process.
Magpie will open seven days a week for lunch and dinner at 10 Heddon Street.