The Sea, The Sea Hackney to become chef’s table residency space as Leandro Carreira departs

22-Feb-2024 - Last updated on 22-Feb-2024 at 12:16 GMT

Chef Leandro Carreira will serve his last 11-course tasting menu at The Sea, The Sea Hackney at the end of next month as the business ‘pivots’ to become a chef’s table pop-up and residency space.

Owner Alex Hunter’s decision to usher in ‘a new era’ follows the success of the Haggerston restaurant and fish wholesaler’s Untapped series, that was introduced last November to spotlight emerging culinary talent from around the UK.

In a statement provided to Restaurant, a spokesperson confirmed that Carreira would be leaving his role as executive chef for the group - which also operates the more casual The Sea, The Sea Chelsea - after March and that the decision was made ‘very amicably’.

The Sea, The Sea Chelsea - which combines a fishmongers with a casual-yet-finely-tuned small plates menu - will continue in ‘much the same manner’.

The 11-course chef’s table experience at The Sea, The Sea Hackney recently won the Best Front Row Seat at the Good Food Guide Awards 2024.

Last summer, The Sea, The Sea Hackney fish restaurant looked to become ‘more inclusive’ with the launch of a £95 tasting menu.

As part of the changes to the Hackney site, The Sea, The Sea’s successful seafood wholesale business is set to expand.

The Sea, The Sea currently supplies over 150 restaurants across London and the South of England, with fish sourced directly from day-boats, divers and local fishermen in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Hunter will also be offering the space for a longer period to both emerging and established chefs and restaurant brands looking to showcase new experiences and is open to different approaches from those wanting to run pop-ups and residencies.

Each residency will have full access to The Sea, The Sea’s facilities including ‘state of the art kitchen and dining room, walk-in dry aging fridge, shellfish tanks and the best of the daily catch coming direct from Cornwall and Scotland every night.

“I’m enormously proud of what Leandro and the team created in Hackney and will miss it greatly but as the business evolves we look forward to the next chapter in Hackney, which will host new concepts, test kitchens and both rising and established stars, all with unique approaches to seafood cooking,” Hunter says.

The Sea, The Sea Hackney launched in 2021 following the success of The Sea, The Sea Chelsea, which launched in 2019 near Sloane Square.