Chef Angelo Sato to launch yakitori-inspired Humble Chicken in London's Soho next year

Yakitori bar, Humble Chicken, will open in London Soho in January 2021.

Launched by former Restaurant Story head chef Angelo Sato, the intimate bar will be inspired by the traditions of izakayas in Tokyo, in which friends and colleagues meet for informal post-work drinks and snacks.

The restaurant-bar will feature traditional seating around a central counter overlooking the kitchen.

Influenced by his Japanese heritage, Sato will offer a menu which uses every part of the chicken, from cartilage and achilles, to gizzards and knee.

Yakitori will be cooked over bincho-tan charcoal on a traditional Japanese grill imported from Kappabashi in Tokyo and served on wooden skewers. There will also be a selection of small and large plates inspired by Sato’s childhood in Tokyo.

Snacks including miso foie gras, black sesame, pine nuts and rice crackers and crispy chicken feet have been designed to be enjoyed with a cocktail. Larger plates will feature chicken alternatives such as Hakata pork belly, chashu, braised daikon, yolk and mustard, and claypot rice dishes such as soba tempura, hakusai, shiso, tile fish and soy.

Sato was head chef at Restaurant Story before setting up his own quick-service businesses Omoide and Yatai. He said: “I've been working to open Humble Chicken for over three years, it’s going to be a completely different concept to Yatai. It's definitely a risky time to open, but when the site came up we just knew it was time to be brave and just go for it. I'm hoping Humble Chicken will bring a piece of home to London. We’re not creating a super traditional Japanese yakitori-ya, we’re taking little things we loved growing up and working in Japan’s vibrant restaurant culture. We’re trying to take all that magic and let it loose in Soho.”