One of London’s most beloved restaurants, FKABAM, is to “pause” for an indefinite period as the team marks ten years since its launch.
Founded by Lee and Kate Tiernan as Black Axe Mangal in 2015 — following a pop-up in the beer garden of Bakken nightclub in Copenhagen — the restaurant went on to earn rave reviews from critics and found a loyal following.
This paper’s longtime restaurant critic, Fay Maschler, wrote that there was “nothing quite like it in London” after her early visit. “Black Axe Mangal is a phenomenon — but emphatically not an outcome of someone noticing that za’atar is now sold in Waitrose,” Maschler observed.
A decade on and the Tiernans said they will enter a hiatus while celebrating “10 phenomenal years” of their heavy metal-soundtracked restaurant, acknowledging some difficult times alongside the good.
“Being original, creative and keeping it fun for ourselves — as well as our customers — has always been the centre of why we do this,” said Lee. “So how do you celebrate 10 years of running a restaurant? Well, in our case, it’s changing things up while it still feels good.
“I love and value all we have achieved with FKABAM and will continue cooking in our unique style, turning up the volume at events and future collaborations. It has been a somewhat difficult year outside the restaurant, but thanks to our brilliant, talented team, we’ve been able to step back a little to focus on our family, get some perspective, and this is where we’ve landed. It’s important to remember this is a pause, not a stop.”
There’s no word on how long the pause will be, so for now London diners will have to sit without such dishes as pig head sizzler with spring onions and ginger relish, butterflied mackerel and spiced kohlrabi slaw, and the incomparable flatbreads, whether squid ink and smoked cod’s roe or bone marrow with oxtail, ox heart and anchovies.
But Lee added there will still be things going on at the Islington restaurant: “For now I want to focus my creative energy towards a ‘pop-up’ within my own restaurant space. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support, custom and friendship over the past decade.
“As Ferris Bueller wisely said, ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’ He was right.”
FKABAM’s final service will be on December 20. 156 Canonbury Road, N1 2UP, blackaxemangal.com
