James Dye to launch Bambi on former Bright site

13-Sep-2023 - Last updated on 13-Sep-2023 at 08:42 GMT

Frank’s Café and The Camberwell Arms co-owner James Dye will launch music-led wine bar and restaurant Bambi on the former Bright site in London Fields next month.

Named after Dyes’ great-grandmother rather than the famous Disney film, Bambi will ‘offer up great music, wine, and food in equal measure’, with the kitchen headed up by chef Henry Freestone, who previously won a Michelin Bib Gourmand at Peckham Cellars.

Bambi will operate as a wine bar and restaurant in the early evening with resident DJs taking over after dinner.

Freestone (pictured right) has created a menu of bar snacks and larger dishes will ‘reflect his passion for casual, fun food’ all underpinned by ‘exceptional British produce’.

Sample dishes from the opening menu will include cauliflower cheese arancini; chicken parm ciabatta, vodka marinara, pickles, aioli; braised butterbeans, kale, goats curd; and dark chocolate and ginger profiterole.

During the day, Bambi will be open for coffee and deli-style sandwiches including chicken Caesar focaccia; corn beef, mustard, pickles; and stracciatella with roasted courgette.

The wine list will champion natural, low-intervention wines from around the world, with a strong offering available by the glass.

Cocktails will be based around a 'short, sharp' list of aperitivo for pre-dinner drinks, plus liveners like the Bambi Martini (a house take on a classic martini) and a frozen tequila coffee cocktail.

On Netil Road, The former Bright restaurant site will undergo a full refurbishment before opening. The sound system, record shelves tnd DJ booth will be installed on the back wall facing out to the room.

Seating will be a mix of high stools positioned at the DJ booth, bar, and high-top tables around the room. High ceilings and natural light will make for ' bright and airy space by day' with warm lighting and sleek wooden wall panels combining to create 'a relaxed and vibrant feel' by night.

Bright closed earlier this year alongside its sister Hackney ventures P.Franco and Noble Fine Liquor with its owners Liam Kelleher and Phil Bracey saying that their "time in the sun has come to an abrupt and sudden end".

The pair's highly-regarded wine bar and restaurant P.Franco has since relaunched as 107 Wine Bar & Shop.