Latest opening: The Baring
What: A neighbourhood gastropub that's located, quite fittingly, on Baring Street in London's Islington. Taking over the site that previously housed The Poet pub, The Baring promotes itself as following 'guiding principles of sustainability, provenance, and low environmental impact'.
Who: The Baring is the first joint venture from chef Rob Tecwyn and general manager Adam Symonds, who first met 10 years ago at popular Highgate gastropub The Bull and Last. Since then, Tecwyn has worked as most notably as head chef at Ollie Dabbous' eponymous Fitzrovia restaurant, which closed in 2017. He's also cooked at The Henrietta Hotel, as well as Moro, Morito, and, most recently, as senior sous chef at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill. Symonds, meanwhile, spent five years at the helm at The Bull and Last, before moving on to Jackson Boxer's celebrated Notting Hill restaurant Orasay, and the nearby. Six Portland Road. The pair's decision to open a gastropub together follows many years of discussing the possibility of it.
The food: Tecwyn and Symonds described The Baring as being 'respectful to the traditions of the great British pub whilst not being bound by them'. Indeed, the menu ostensibly steers clear of more casual pub grub - no scotch eggs to be found here - and instead adheres to a more refined and seasonal approach. Dishes on the daily à la carte are split between a selection of bar snacks, starters, main courses and desserts, with prices ranging from £10 to £12 for starters and hovering around the £25 for mains. Options on the launch menu include starters of smoked eel and pig’s cheek terrine with horseradish and daikon; quail shish with garlic yoghurt and pul biber chilli; and grilled leeks with gribiche and hazelnuts; and mains of ricotta gnudi with broad beans and girolles; salt marsh lamb rump with köfte, aubergine and friggitelli pepper; and Cornish hake with Tropea onion and taramasalata. Desserts include warm almond financier and whipped cream; and buttermilk pudding with strawberries and oats. A Sunday roast is also available weekly.
The drink: A selection of keg and cask beers include a rotating selection from UK small breweries including Burning Sky, Little Earth, Five Points, and Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing. There's also a bottle list of more unusual sour, Saison, and spontaneous fermentation beers. Wines, meanwhile, have been sourced from independent, low intervention winemakers, and are available alongside a short cocktail list combining classics mixed drinks made with London-based spirits and homemade cordials.
The vibe: Overseen by Tecwyn and Symonds, the pub's design is austere, with whitewashed walls and bare brick throughout that's peppered with some choice dry plants and low, intimate lighting. While there are some bar stools available, the layout primarily focused on table seating, with around 40 covers available in total.
And another thing: The Baring has already caught the attention of industry's critical elite with no less then two reviews pending from major restaurant critics in the coming weeks. Hardly a surprise, given the pedigree of its owners.
55 Baring St, London, N1 3DS
www.thebaring.co.uk
