The latest high-profile restaurant to open in the new Shoreditch development under the Overground line is Legado, a new Spanish concept from Nieves Barragán Mohacho and JKS Restaurants.
Legado, which means “legacy”, is next door to the new Singburi, while the Standard understands another big opening is planned nearby (we cannot say yet, but hold tight).
Barragán is best known for her Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Sabor, a multi-floor restaurant that spans Spain's regional cuisine.
Legado, the Standard was told, “is set to move beyond the familiar, allowing the wider ingredients, lesser-known dishes, regional culinary traditions and the Spanish artisans to take centre stage.”
The 60-cover restaurant – with a further 16 at the counter – will serve tapas and pintxos that shine a light on specific producers, ingredients and Spanish traditions.
Lamb, for example, will come from Lechazo de Castilla y León (an origin-protected producer), while suckling pig is to be sourced from the award-winning farm Tabladillo el Cochinillo in Segovia, a province north of Madrid,
Fish will be treated much the same, with a menu that traverses Spanish coastlines. Dishes are to include crystal Mediterranean prawns with smoked paprika and Moscatel vinegar, and confit lobster with chilli and garlic served on a base of thinly sliced potatoes. Both will come topped with a runny fried egg.
As for vegetarian dishes, the most interesting could be the “Legado sandwich”, made with Swiss chard, cecina, and smoked cheese fried in breadcrumbs, which Barragán remembers her grandmother making for her in the Basque region.
“Spain’s food heritage is incredible and has rightly deserved recognition in London and globally,” she said.
“Its colours, tastes, and smells are rooted deeply within me. However, many dishes I love, I have never seen outside the country and want to bring them and even more to London.”
As for wines, diners should expect a 150-bin list celebrating Spanish vintages, and “seasonally changing vegetable and fruit-based cocktails served chilled but without ice.” There will be three-sip drinks, short drinks being the fashion in London right now.
The restaurant will look Spanish and modern – think a colour palette of green, plaster pink and terracotta – with exposed brick, an open kitchen and lots of beautiful wood.
Legado opens on August 28, 1C Montacute Yards, 185-186 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HU, jksrestaurants.com
