Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood | Islington Residency Spot

Neighbourhood is a pop-up space in Islington (previously known as ‘Sessions Food Hall’) that shines the spotlight on new and up-and-coming chefs – or exciting, innovative chefs who may have been around for a while, but just need that extra bit of spotlight to get their breakthrough into the mainstream.

And it’s a blinding concept…

Because:

A) The chefs are lent a full-on kitchen with a restaurant space on a limited-time basis (normally for around a month), which in turn gives them the necessary exposure to build a following and test out what works (and what doesn’t) before they’re released back into the wild to fend for themselves, and for some, potentially open a permanent place of their own.

Also,

B) You get to eat their food.

It’s a win-win scenario that’s beneficial to all parties, and currently you can sample the wares of no less than four different resident traders. There’s the flavour-packing pillows of Little Bao Boy, whose signature fillings include the slow braised ginger & garlic beef brisket; crispy peppered cauliflower; and crispy fried chicken thigh brined in spicy buttermilk. Then there’s Sobe‘s Miami-styled smash burgers, packing double patties with garnishes like crispy onions and confit garlic mayo; and the Korean rice bowls of Tiger and Rabbit, which you can get with a little traditional bulgogi grilled steak.

Taking care of dessert is Neighbourhood’s fourth resident, Rich Myers, whose Get Baked outfit has gone down a storm in Leeds. Try the outrageous Speculoos pie with 55% bullion (?!?), a ganache-drenched take on their famous 24-layer chocolate cake, or the sticky toffee coffee pudding, a collab dish with chef Sabrina Ghayour.

And on top of these longer-standing residents, Neighbourhood often invites guest chefs and roving food outfits for one night takeovers on Wednesday evenings, which have previously seen the likes of Bando Belly and Ana da Costa swing by.

They’re a great addition to the neighbourhood.

NOTE: Neighbourhood is open Wednesday – Sunday. You can find out more, and book, right here.

Neighbourhood | 77 Upper Street, N1 0NU

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