L’Ami Malo, the brainchild of co-founders Emilien Lesourd and Vincent Couvreur, is a modern crêperie and bar inspired by Breton flavours and the small town of St Malo in northwest France.
Officially opening on 31st January on Spitalfields’ Artillery Passage, near Liverpool Street, L’Ami Malo brings a taste of Brittany to the capital with a menu primarily made up of contemporary galettes and crêpes. Using the best French, British and Asian ingredients, Head Chef Williams Guillemot, formerly of Clos Maggiore, has created a variety of sweet and savoury dishes with choices such as ‘maki’-style rolls of Bayonne ham with Comté cheese, tomato tartare, roasted hazelnuts and baby spinach; and galettes featuring confit duck leg with caramelised pear and red wine jus. Sweet crêpes come with fillings from classic lemon and sugar to apple compote, butter sauce and salted caramel.
The exclusively French wine list includes orange and organic varietals whilst other drinks come in the form of craft ciders, including Cidrerie Nicol and Maison Sassy. Monthly cocktail specials are dispensed from the French speakeasy-style bar – Le Moulin – at the rear of the restaurant.
The 1,140 sq ft, 54-cover restaurant and bar is split over two floors (30 upstairs, 24 downstairs) has been designed by ADMerlin Design Studio. Combining the rustic traditions of France with a modern, stripped-back urban feel, a large quantity of reclaimed timber features has been used on the walls and floors. Low-hanging pendant lights with a brushed-copper finish harmonise with upholstered seating clad in blue-striped, vintage French fabric. An open-plan kitchen with bar seating allows guests to watch the chefs in action or pull up a stool at the central reservation Le Moulin cocktail bar. The downstairs space is available for private hire with canapé and drinks packages on offer.
Lesourd and Couvreur bonded over their common passions for travel, gastronomy and galettes. Their memories of eating in crêperies as children are associated with happy times and celebrations and they hope L’Ami Malo will instill similar emotions and associations with diners.
Co-founder Emilien Lesourd, comments: “We’ve taken a fantastic site in bustling Artillery Passage, moments from Liverpool Street, with excellent footfall. We can’t wait to show Londoners our contemporary take on a traditional crêperie. We hope they’ll get a sense of all the love and passion we have put into L’Ami Malo.”