Josh Katz will open his first restaurant, Berber & Q, a Middle Eastern and North African grill house, within the railway arches of Haggerston, in Spring 2015. Formerly at Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, Ottolenghi and Zest, Josh has taken influence for Berber & Q from all over – London, Marrakesh, Istanbul, Tel Aviv and New York.
Josh has extensively explored Mangal restaurants in Turkey, the grill & kebab houses of Istanbul, the food stalls of Jmaa al Fna in Marrakesh and the Shipudim in Tel Aviv. Growing up in North London meant regular visits to the falafel shops, Middle Eastern grocery stores, bakeries, butchers, Shawarma houses and Israeli restaurants which became regular after-school haunts.
Menu
With the open mangal, charcoal grill and smoker at the centre of the offering, Josh has split his menu into ‘Meat’, ‘Vegetables’, ‘Sandwiches’ and ‘Sweets’, that will all be served on communal mess trays. Signature ‘Meats’ will include Lamb Mechoui (£9.50), pulled forequarter of lamb eaten by hand with cumin salt for dipping; Quail, with rose and plum yoghurt (£8.50); and Beef Kefta with walnut and apricot (£8.50). The changing menu will include ‘Vegetables’ of Blackened aubergine with walnut and tahini (£5); Cauliflower (1/4, ½, whole) with turmeric and lime butter (£3/5/8); and Glazed beetroot with date syrup and whipped feta (£5).
House-made sauces will accompany the dishes, like Zhug, red chilli sauce and green tahini, and all orders will come with griddled Israeli Ciapita and Berber house salad. Desserts will be offerings such as Rose Malabi (£4.50) and Ice cream pitta with banana and salted caramel (£5).
Wines and cocktails
Co Founder, Mattia Bianchi, who previously worked at Ottolenghi and with Ben Spalding, will oversee the front of house and wine list. He has curated a short list that will be ever changing, no more than 20 bins. There will be wines from small producers in Southern Italy, Spain, and France, along with lesser- known bottles from Morocco and Turkey. Mattia will choose one magnum every month – his current favourite, which will take pride of place on the list, and will represent excellent value. The list will begin at £3.50 for a glass, and £18.50 for a bottle.
The cocktail list will be Middle Eastern, using Lebanese Arak, homemade bitters, syrups, infused spirits and liquors. Drinks will include the SazARAK (£8); Scammed in Marakesh Punch (£7); Haggerstoned (£7); and the Labaneeza (£7.50). Guest lagers will be served on tap in growlers from local breweries such as London Fields, Crate and the Redchurch Brewery.
Design
Berber & Q, designed by London based Judith Pearson, will sit under a weathered, brick railway arch (previously a disused taxi rank), its exterior clad with rusted and corrugated metal sheets, and finely patterned lattice vinyl. A long, dark-wood bar will stretch the length of the room. With the open kitchen as a backdrop, seating will comprise a mixture of dark wooden booths covered with sackcloth cushions and long, communal sharing tables made from railway sleepers, all overhung with lights made from sheet metal.
Berber & Q, Arch 338, Acton Mews, London, E8 4EA
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