Native restaurant relocates to Osea Island as Casa do Frango takes whole Borough site

Native restaurant is to relocate from Borough in London to Osea Island on the Essex coast.

It will vacate the site it shared with Casa do Frango in an industrial warehouse close to London’s Borough Market, with the Portuguese restaurant taking over the whole building.

Native specialises in wild food, so it is a fitting move for Ivan Tisdall-Downes and Imogen Davis, who will have a bio-diverse part of the country, well known for its oysters and seafood, on their doorstep.

The 30-cover restaurant will be based in a World War I torpedo store, from where Tisdall-Downes will prepare a £75 tasting menu with an optional £55 wine pairing.

Dishes will be inspired by produce on and around the island, including Blackwater oysters smoked over fire and wild bass served with fennel and lavender. Dining times will be dictated by the tide, as Osea Island is only accessible by boat or a Roman causeway.

Tisdall-Downes said: “Our menu has always been a snapshot of what’s available in the fields, forest and coastlines that day – and we’re looking forward to developing our menu to reflect the wealth of produce that Osea Island and the surrounding area has to offer.”

Davis, who has created a list of organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines, said: “It has always been a dream of ours to escape the city and look for a restaurant near the sea where we can further expand our closed-loop and regenerative agriculture practices.”