Gilly's Fry Bar is moving to the West End

The chef, who also launched Season Kitchen in Stroud Green in 2010, describes Gilly’s Fry Bar in Finsbury Park as having been a “test site”.

The restaurant opened in September of last year, billed as a ‘Japanese fish and chip shop’ serving small plates of fried snacks such as hake; shiitake mushrooms; chips; and sweetcorn scraps, alongside raw fish dishes, pickles and cocktails.

Since its inception it has received glowing reviews from critics including Grace Dent, and Gill says he is “heartened” to find so many people who love batter as much as he does.

“I’ve been bowled over by the reaction to Gilly’s from diehard foodies, curious locals and passing theatregoers, and heartened to discover the chip butty is alive and well,” he says.

“I'd be the first to admit that when we launched Gilly's Fry Bar a year ago, on the flimsiest of shoestrings, it was more in hope than expectation.”

When the restaurant reopens in the West End –a location and date for which has not yet been confirmed - Gill says he plans to “show even more people just what you can achieve with a deep fryer, obsessive attention to detail and a lot of love”.

The new restaurant is expected to have an extended menu offering a range of new dishes.