Brat's Residency at Climpson's Arch
After a several-year hiatus, we're pleased to announce a much anticipated residency at Climpson's Arch, we're joined by ex-resident Tomos Parry of Brat. Previously known for long summer nights, flaming grills and the East London home of creative up-and-coming chefs, the arch has been solely focused on developing an innovative and adventurous coffee offering for the last few years. But the longstanding reputation for hosting some of the city’s most exciting chefs and restaurants has not been forgotten.
Harking back to those legendary summer nights in the arch, Tomos has been bringing the Brat concept outdoors and re-lighting the wood fired ovens once again, with his signature open-fired grilling techniques, inspired by Northern Spain’s Basque country. Tomos is well acquainted with Climpson's Arch, heading up the kitchen from 2013 - 2015, where he won the much coveted Young British Foodie Award. Tomos then moved on to run the kitchen at legendary Kitty Fisher’s, before opening Brat in 2018. Brat quickly won their first michelin star in the same year and was voted London’s best restaurant in the National Restaurant Awards 2019.
Going back to his roots, Tomos’ return to the arch this summer plans to retrace the dishes and techniques which were born in the arch sunshine all those summers ago. Expect to see whole roasted turbot, spider crab and grilled breads, paired with a heavy dose of nostalgia for summer nights gone by.
Speaking of the residency, Parry says “There’s something reassuringly simple about the ritual of starting fire, setting a table and opening some bottles of wine. This is an anxious moment for the farm to restaurant food system and our communities. Getting back to basics at Climpson’s Arch to spend a few hours grilling fish and the produce we love, means we can go some way to supporting our team and suppliers when we need each other most and in a space that safely brings people together”.
The daily menu has been showcasing native seasonal produce sourced from some of the best producers in the UK such as Dan Cox’s Crocadon Farm in Cornwall and Calixta Kilander’s Flourish Farm in Cambridge. Along with Brat favourites, diners have been indulging in new dishes; grilled Crocadon Farm aged mutton chops, petit snap greens with smoked new season garlic, homemade ricotta and unfiltered olive oil, Basque fish soup with Cornish velvet crabs and a salad of slow-grilled pollock, laverbread and tomatoes.
On the project, Climpson’s Founder Ian Burgess says “Climpson’s Arch was one of my proudest projects. It was an exciting hub for chefs and the food loving community. People were drawn by the theatre and rawness of cooking on fire, as talented chefs merged wood, fire, food. It’s a silver lining in these crazy new times to be able to offer this space back to the hospitality industry and come full circle.”
Brat at Climpson's Arch is now open, and reservations can be made here.