After making waves in Borough with a whole-carcass approach to rustic regional French cooking that’s seen dishes like its pig’s snout cassoulet and pate en croute become London-famous, the Camille team has announced its next step. In October restaurateurs Clare Lattin, Ratnesh Bagdai and Tom Hill, and chef-patron Elliot Hashtroudi will open B Penhale, a Farringdon restaurant that digs into British and Irish culinary traditions. Like at Camille, Hashtroudi’s nose-to-tail cooking will take centre stage – but here the offal and less-often-used cuts of meat will show up in modern takes on Victorian-era dishes.
Hashtroudi’s heritage is linked with the location and concept of B Penhale, which is named after his grandmother Betty Penhale – one of his great-grandmothers was a butcher in nearby Smithfield Market. As at Camille, he will draw on his time working at Padella and Trullo, as well as Farringdon institution St John.
The restaurant will be housed in a Grade II-listed building that was previously the Pascal Aussignac-led French fine diner Club Gascon. It’ll have a 60-seat dining room, as well as a six-seat bar. The dining room will revolve around Victorian-era dishes and rituals, while the bar’s focus will be on how the food of Britain and Ireland has been influenced by migration. Camille head of wine Max Hancock will lead the list, drawing on British winemakers working around the world, as well as reflecting what the Victorians drank and the rituals surrounding it.
B Penhale opens at 57 W Smithfield, EC1A 9DS in October.
