The Guy Behind Frank's Cafe Has A New Trick Up His Sleeve

Bambi | A music-led wine bar & restaurant in London Fields

We’re about to get a new wine bar & restaurant from the guy behind one of the best rooftop bars in London – Frank’s Cafe.

Though, in a frankly unsurprising twist, his name is James Dye.

And James Dye is clearly a big fan of both good food, good wine, and good music because the plans for this new venue (called Bambi after his great-grandmother) involve a strong emphasis on all three. You’ll find it – when it opens in October – at the foot of Netil House in the old space that was formerly occupied by Bright. And true to the name it’s a bright venue indeed, with an array of floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the place with light.

At least, that’s what will happen when the sun is out, during which time the place will act as a a wine bar & restaurant. After dinner however, when the sun dips below the horizon, the DJs will take over and the place will lean far more into the bar part rather than the restaurant part. So, taking the three elements one at a time, here’s what they’ve got in store:

The food will be marshalled by chef Henry Freestone. His last gig was at Peckham Cellars, where he won them a Bib Gourmand. For his next trick, he’ll be plating up casual wine-friendly numbers like roast chickens with chicken fat focaccia & green sauce; braised butterbeans with kale & goats curd; smoked mackerel pate & pickled cucumbers; and chicken parm ciabatta with vodka marinara.

The booze is all going to revolve around the wine list, and the wine list of going to revolve around natural & low-intervention bottles from across the globe, with plenty available by the glass. After that, there’ll be cocktails, which swing from a light Bambi Martini, to a considerably punchier frozen tequila coffee number. Oh, and there’ll be a takeaway shop too.

The music is all going to be pumped out through a high-spec vintage sound system, and the records are all going to be plucked from a custom-built wall of vinyl above it all. Resident selector Charlie Dark MBE will be in charge of both the tunes and the various guest DJs who get to spin them, and the party will go on until 1am on weekends.

We can only imagine that Thumper would approve.

NOTE: Bambi is set to open in October. We’ll be back then with the full scoop. In the meantime, you can find out more at the website right here.

Bambi | 1 Westgate Street, E8 3RL

If you like Bambi you might also like… Sager + Wilde