Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins partner with brewery to open live fire restaurant
Chefs Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins will open live fire concept Acme Fire Cult on 1 April, showcasing flame-cooked vegetables cooked with the by-products of brewing.
Clarke, behind London restaurants Brunswick House and St Leonards, has teamed up with former St Leonards head chef Watkins and Steve Ryan of brewery 40FT. The chefs will be using beer by-products to make sauces and ferments as well as showcasing some of their favourite ingredients in beer production.
Andrew Clarke said: "Steve Ryan and I have been friends for a long time and I've previously cooked at the brewery as a guest chef. Daniel and I had been looking for a space for Acme in Hackney, and when the space at the yard facing 40FT came up, we had to seize it. The potential for the space is huge, and we want special events and guest chef dinners to become a big part of the offering.
"We're really excited to be working with Steve and 40FT. The synergy of the beer brewing process and menu creation is central to what we're doing at Acme and encompasses all aspects of the menu. We can't wait for people to try it."
Acme marmite will be made from beer yeast, a hot sauce from beer-soaked chilies and a beer molasses from the reduced ‘first runnings'.
The restaurant will have 10 beer taps pouring beers brewed on-site that will be paired with dishes, with special editions showcased each month. The first of these will be an Acme dark lager with subtle complexity from ancho chillies.
In addition to 40FT beers, there will be a concise wine list from Holly Willcocks, formerly of Noble Rot and co-founder of Half Cut Market, Camden.
Vegetables will be at the heart of the food offering alongside rare and native-breed meat from regenerative farms and sustainable dayboat fish.
Dishes will include half a herb-fed chicken with vadouvan butter, tropea onion and crème fraîche; as well as a ‘char siu' of monkfish, made using a sweet and sour molasses of fermented beetroot juice, dusted in fennel pollen, and served with roast jalapeño verde and grilled sea vegetables.
