Chef Stevie Parle, of Craft London in north Greenwich, has launched a series of ‘test kitchens', asking guests to help in the development of new dishes at the restaurant.
Beginning on 19 January, Test Kitchen Tuesdays will offer visitors a blind tasting menu of up to six dishes that are still in development, or available in very small quality. The evening will cost £28 per person, and also offer guests the opportunity to speak with Parle and the other chefs involved in the plates' development.
The test kitchens have been organised in a bid to highlight Craft London's collaborative and experimental ethos, with each dish begun from scratch by the chefs, meaning they are able to work with new techniques and ingredients, which may only be in season for a short time, or may have been pickled months ago and are now ready to use.
First opened in October 2014, Craft London is a partnership between Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon, and was designed by Design Research Studio. Situated on a new 60,000 sq m (645,834 sq ft) plot opposite the O2 arena complex in North Greenwich, it began with a coffee roastery and café, which was followed by a restaurant, top-floor cocktail bar, and shop in April 2015.
Named after British crafts and artisanal processes, it specialises in roasting coffee, smoking of fish, beekeeping, meat curing and fermentation of vegetables, and has its own kitchen garden.
The restaurant is Parle's third venture, after the Ladbroke Grove restaurant the Dock Kitchen, and Dalston's Rotorino. His career has also included time at the River Café, Moro and Petersham Nurseries, and he is also a cookery writer, presenter and journalist.
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