Chef Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal are teaming up to open an “informal, high quality dining restaurant utilising the finest ingredients and wines”.
The project, named Trivet, will take over the 3,500 sq ft site in the Snowfields Yard development with a 75-cover restaurant and 20-25 cover wine bar.
The 36 Snowfields address was home to chef Leandro Carreira’s Portuguese restaurant Londrino for around 15 months before it closed in February.
“The location ticked all the boxes – it is tucked away on a quiet street near London Bridge and Borough Market in an area that is fun, exciting and full of life,” says Lake, who worked alongside Bal for over 12 years at The Fat Duck.
The chef rose through the ranks at Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred restaurant to become head chef in 2009 and was a key player in the restaurant's migration to Australia in 2015 and subsequent reopening back in Bray with a reworked menu.
On his return, his role expanded to become executive chef overseeing the group’s three restaurants in Bray (The Fat Duck, The Hind’s Head and The Crown at Bray), as well as The Perfectionists’ Café at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2.
Turkish-born Bal was head sommelier at The Fat Duck and and won the title of Best Sommelier in Europe in 2008, organised by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI).
“Throughout the many years we have worked together, Jonny and I have always been in pursuit of inspired culinary excellence," says Bal. "At Trivet, we will showcase our explorations of ingredients, dishes and drinks from different regions around the world. The design and experience of the restaurant will also be inspired from our travels, juxtaposing Nordic functionality with the warmth of the Mediterranean and a dose of fun.”
The pair left The Fat Duck early 2018 before announcing their plans to team up for a project using their shared passion for “creating interesting flavour combinations”.