Sly Augustin and Maiko Neill to open Portobello 177

Sly Augustin, owner of Trailer Happiness, and hospitality consultant Maiko Neill, who has worked for venues including Bungalow 8, Chess Club and Selfridges, will open Portobello 177 on Portobello Road this October.

Head chef Shay Ola, previously creative director at east London venue the Rebel Dining Society, has created a menu with a nod to Caribbean and Japanese barbecue culture. Dishes on the launch menu will include grilled prawns, tare, fermented mango, lemongrass vinaigrette with chili crisp and furikake (pictured below); braised oxtail served with burnt padron pepper puree, caramelised carrot puree, carrot tops and sorrel leaves; and aged pork collar with butter bean puree, tamarind sauce and seasonal greens.

Desserts will include caramelised banana bread pudding, caramelised white chocolate and burnt coconut ganache; Basque-style cheesecake with hibiscus powder; and burnt peach and coconut sorbet, kombucha syrup, pickled berries, shiso and toasted sesame oil.

There will be an extensive wine list featuring natural wines from small global suppliers and a weekly ‘wild card’ wine, that will also be available to purchase in the attached bottle shop, located on Elgin Crescent.

The restaurant will also champion small-batch distillers from the UK and beyond with a weekly rotation of five cocktails - The Stirred One, The Sour One, The Fun One, The Tall One and The Fizzy One - made using ingredients already used in the kitchen that week.

The 50-cover restaurant will feature sea green tiling, and ‘a mid-century aesthetic’ with a central bar for counter-dining and a semi open kitchen will allow diners to watch the kitchen team at work. There will be terrace seating on both Portobello Road and Elgin Crescent.

“It was always a dream to own a restaurant on Portobello Road, and to create a special and welcoming food destination, unique to the area, that really celebrates incredible flavour and produce at the heart of its menu,” say the founders.

“We’re so excited to bring Portobello 177 to this vibrant neighbourhood.”