Damian Clisby and Nick Gibson to open Shoreditch wine bar

Former Petersham Nurseries chef director Damian Clisby and Nick Gibson, owner of London gastropub the Drapers Arms are to open a wine bar in Shoreditch together.

The new venture, named Emile after Clisby’s grandfather, will open for six months at 26 Curtain Road from 10 October.

The 40-cover venue will be open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. It will also open every other Sunday from 27 October with a set menu lunch served family-style at a single sitting.

The daily-changing menu will feature dishes such as: Pecorino, pear, pumpkin, speck; potato and butter ravioli, porcini; venison loin, Kalibos cabbage, plum and thyme; and chocolate, hazelnuts and olive oil

Gibson has put together the wine list, which he said will be: “Short, interesting and competitively priced; predominantly Old World, from accessible classics to wine-geek curiosities.” Wine will also be served by the glass using a Coravin system.

Gibson said: “We’ve been chatting for a while about doing something that would combine Damian’s love of cooking with my passion for wine, and our shared love of hospitality. Emile is exactly that and we’re looking forward to seeing how it evolves.”

Clisby added: “I’ve been wanting to get back to doing what I love – hands-on cooking, actually creating, rather than overseeing large kitchens and brigades – for some time and Emile gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that.”