One of London’s oldest surviving restaurants, J. Sheekey in Covent Garden, is marking its 130th anniversary with a menu of historic dishes.
The likes of potted shrimp and smoked eel salad, made to their original recipes, will be available alongside the regular à la carte menu in the coming months.
Potted shrimp dates back to the Tudor period as a method to preserve small brown shrimp fished out of Morcombe Bay in modern Cumbria.
The smoked eel salad starter, meanwhile, is a nod to London’s historic relationship with eel and its waterways and a dish that has often appeared on the menu at J. Sheekey over the past 13 decades.
There will also be a Cornish fish stew to honour “the restaurant’s long-standing relationship with British fishing communities”, and a classic lobster thermidor, a dish “that has drawn actors, writers and audiences” to the venue.
In charge of the food is executive chef Andy McLay, who has spent over 20 years overseeing the kitchen.
Recognisable by its signature red façade and found in a back street in London’s West End, J. Sheeky opened in 1896 and was founded by Josef Sheekey, a local fishmonger who started out operating as a simple oyster bar.
The place has long been associated with theatreland, welcoming generations of actors, writers, artists and audiences. The likes of Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kylie Minogue, Gordon and Tana Ramsay, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, and Stevie Wonder are just a handful of names who have visited.
An announcement also teased “high-profile collaborations, exclusive events and cultural moments” happening later this year.
The Standard was told that J. Sheekey is estimated to have served around 9.5 million oysters since opening, and as many as 1.2 million fish pies, though this is impossible to verify.
28-32 St Martin's Court, WC2N 4AL, j-sheekey.co.uk
