Chef Jakob Grant opens Deal bistro

Called Cherub’s, a reference to Grant’s recently-born son, the restaurant holds 27 covers and serves a weekly-changing menu of ‘ingredient led’ dishes often made using surplus stock from local suppliers including The Black Pig, Jenkins & Son, and Lavender and Blackberry.

Explaining the menu development process, Grant says: “Lizzy at The Black Pig butchers buys exclusively whole carcasses, meaning I can’t just order 40 sirloin steaks at a moment’s notice.

“Instead, Lizzy lets me know what’s available from her surplus stock, and I create the menu around that. It’s a dynamic and inspiring process, picking out fresh fish from Jenkins & Son and sourcing produce from Lavender and Blackberry, and beats sitting in front of an excel spreadsheet full of market prices any day.”

Example dishes to feature on the restaurant’s launch menu include clams, chorizo and butter beans; lobster with Café de Paris butter and chips; roast chicken, girolles, asparagus and Madeira sauce; and St Emilion au chocolat.

Originally from Coventry, Grant began working in kitchens part time while studying at university in London. He went on to take the role of chef de partie at Sargasso in Margate and later cooked alongside Henry Harris at Bouchon Racine in London’s Farringdon. ,

“Cherubs is an accumulation of my cheffing experiences thus far, great local produce, and, most importantly, the new-found drive and focus of being a new father,” he adds.