Scott Hallsworth gets his Freak on in Balham

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Scott Hallsworth is opening a second of his Freak Scene restaurants in south London, with a new site in Balham.

The chef and restaurateur has taken on the former The Red Duck site on Ramsden Road to open Freak Scene Sushi and Grill later this month.

The pan-Asian restaurant will have a sushi bar and a wood oven as well as the charcoal grill that was originally used at the Soho Feak Scene. Downstairs will be a lounge area for eating and drinking and which will host live DJ sets.

Hallsworth launched Freak Scene as a pop-up in Farringdon in July 2017 before opening a permanent site on Soho’s Frith Street a year later. The restaurant did not reopen after the Coronavirus pandemic, with Hallsworth blaming ‘greedy landlords’ and expensive real estate at the time.

More recently he opened Freak Scene in Parsons Green in Fulham in March 2023, teaming up with fellow Australian and comedian Adam Hills. The 46- cover restaurant has been dubbed Freak Scene Mark III.

Dishes on the current menu include Singapore crab wonton bombs; beef fillet tataki; scorched edamame; roasted Hokkaido scallops; tea smoked lamb chops; and BBQ pork belly buns.