What: Located on the 14th floor of the newly-opened and rather swanky The Hoxton, Southwark, Seabird sees Ennismore hooking up with Premiere Enterprises, the New York-based duo behind Brooklyn restaurant and oyster specialist Maison Premiere.
Who: Maison Premier’s founders Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka oversee the front of house and William Elliott, bar director of Maison Premiere, is behind Seabird’s drinks list. Marco Palazzo, formerly head chef at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, is the head chef.
The food: Oysters are the stars of the show, with bivalves from England (Dorset, Morecambe, Colchester), Jersey, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland and Portugal on the menu. After that the menu takes a Mediterranean/Basque turn with various selections of charcuterie and small plates such as heritage carrots with goat’s curd and walnuts; crab bunuelos with saffron aioli. Mains come from the plancha or charcoal grill and include Cornish plaice on the bone; whole John Dory (to share) and Basque stew. The stand out dish, however, is the Instagram-friendly octopus ‘hot dog’ - grilled octopus served in a brioche roll topped with padron peppers and sobrasada aioli.
The vibe: There’s no denying it, Seabird is a beautiful space that feels more Miami than Southwark with its marble-topped raw bar, wicker furniture, whitewashed floors and plenty of foliage, The view from the 14th floor and its stylish and large outside terrace isn’t too shabby either.
And another thing: Seabird lays claim to having London’s biggest selection of oysters. So seriously does it take them that the raw bar even has its own chef, Simon Lamont.
14th Floor, 40 Blackfriars Road, London
