Tatar Bunar will be inspired by Cooper’s hometown of Tatarbunary in southern Ukraine and will ‘reflect decades old family traditions with a menu led by his grandmother’s recipes’.
Heading up the kitchen will be Kate Tkachuk who has worked alongside the pair to create a menu that celebrates the biodiversity of the Bessarabia region with dishes including chicken Kyiv and borscht.
The 90-cover restaurant will be located on Shoreditch’s Curtain Road on the site that was once home to Tapas Brindisa. It will feature an open kitchen that will overlook the restaurant and internal courtyard filled with greenery and plants while in summer, guests can make use of the outdoor terrace that seats a further 20 people.
Design elements will include reclaimed wood from the Carpathian region alongside Bulgarian stone, also sourced from Bessarabia. The restaurant will also feature handmade ceramics from local artist Svetlana Sholomitska, who handmade each tile, plate, cup and vase during the blackouts in Kyiv.
Kyiv-based restaurateur Cooper has stayed in Ukraine throughout the war, supporting his team and community as well as the army and territorial defence. Since the outbreak of the war, Andriienko has relocated to London and will take charge of the running of the restaurant while Cooper is unable to leave Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict.
“We have long admired the food scene in London and its ability to celebrate and champion cuisines from all over the world,” say the pair.
“We believe there is still work to be done in showing London how wonderful Ukraine food is which is why we have decided to open Tatar Bunar and we can’t wait to show London what Ukraine cuisine has to offer.”
Tatar Bunar will open in March.