The Modern Pantry Finsbury Square announces closure
The Modern Pantry has announced the closure of its second site in London's Finsbury Square which will cease trading on 15 December 2017.
Chef-patron Anna Hansen launched the first Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell in 2008. The 20-seater Modern Pantry Finsbury Square, housed in the Alphabeta building, followed seven years after the flagship.
It was featured in the 2018 Michelin guide which complemented its "spacious and elegant" dining room, "lively" bar and "extensive menu of internationally influenced dishes".
In the restaurant's latest newsletter, it stated: "It is with much sadness that we announce that the Modern Pantry Finsbury Square is no longer open. We've had a blast in the city and would like to thank you all for dining with us over the last two years.
"We've loved our time here at Finsbury Square, from hosting some fantastic events and special dinners to the launch of our beautiful Alpha Beta bar with the Mr Lyan team, but the time has come for us to focus on new opportunities. We look forward to welcoming you all to our restaurant in Clerkenwell and watch this space for more exciting news soon!"
Hansen said: "The last two years have been a real learning curve for us. I can't tell you how beautiful the Finsbury Square site is, but over the last year it's become hard to compete with other city offerings. I would never want to change, or take away, from the originality of what we do, hence the decision to close and really focus on Clerkenwell as we come into our 10th year of operating. Watch out too for other exciting projects to come."
The Modern Pantry serves breakfast until midday when from then on diners can choose from a variety of tapas and large plates until close. Dishes include deep-fried spiced cornbread, black bean purée, saffron-pickled vegetables and avocado and yuzu salsa; braised oxtail dumpling with miso mustard and parsley vinaigrette; and shichimi roast sea trout with wakame, salted cabbage and hijiki salad.
From 8am-3pm, the ground-floor a pantry shop is open where homemade jams, relishes and spices can be purchased alongside a curated collection of items from a range of small producers.
Hansen first trained as a chef under Fergus Henderson at the French House Dining Room in 1992. She moved on to work with Peter Gordon in 1994 at Green Street and again in 1998 at the Sugar Club, Soho.
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