Scott Hallsworth to open second Freak Scene restaurant

Kurobata founder and former Nobu head chef Scott Hallsworth is set to launch his second Freak Scene restaurant in London’s Balham.

Freak Scene Sushi and Robata will officially open on 1 February, following a soft-launch period starting from 18 January.

The 80-cover restaurant will serve sushi from ex-Kurobata sushi chef Yauheni Kharytonau as well as a selection of sakes curated by Oliver Hilton-Johnson of Tengu Sake.

Dining areas include a main ground floor space, a secluded downstairs lounge, a covered outdoor patio and a sushi bar, all of which will be overseen by restaurant manager Rich Hardcastle.

Dishes will focus on sushi and showcase the charcoal robata grill, with the likes of grilled hispi cabbage with beurre noisette, ponzu, dried miso and truffle and Singapore chilli crab to be on the menu.

Hallsworth said: “I’ve selfishly been really keen to launch in Balham for while because it’s where I live but it’s also super lively and fast becoming a brilliant food hub for the greater area. Shifting the focus to sushi and grill allows us to have a lot of fun with menu categories which we haven't played around with yet. It'll display all of the hallmarks of my previous sites but it won’t be just another Freak Scene.”

The chef, who has launched restaurants in Melbourne, Chamonix and Nairobi, among other locations around the world, partnered with Australian comedian and television presenter Adam Hills to open the first 46-cover Freak Scene in London’s Parsons Green in March last year.

Freak Scene initially started as a pop-up in 2017.