Whyte Rushen is opening his first permanent restaurant in Hackney

The chef known as Whyte Rushen has announced plans to open his very first London restaurant – and we can barely deal with the excitement. 

Known for his left-field foodie pop-ups across the capital, as well as a very cheffy background at such noted establishments as Brat, Scully St James and Kerridge’s, Whyte Rushen’s debut restaurant is set to open next month in Hackney.

‘It’s with a mix of every emotion humanly available, excitement, pride, anxiety, fear, joy and all the rest, that I can finally announce, we’ve found a site, a restaurant, a hub, a home,’ wrote the chef, who first came to Time Out’s attention due to some extremely moreish Monster Munch-covered oysters. 

The plan to open up in December, but Whyte is calling on fans to chuck the project a bit of dosh via a Go Fund Me to support the opening. ‘To create the space we’ve always dreamed of is obviously gonna cost a few quid, so this is not only an announcement, it’s a call to arms... I ask you with the most thanks imaginable in advance, to, if you can, if you can spare it, however little, donate to help make this a reality for us all, at this point every penny counts.’ There’s a £20,000 target. 

There’s no word on the menu yet, but when Whyte popped-up in Mortimer House a couple of years back, he was serving up dishes like Stamford Hill Estate, with wagyu beef meatballs, brioche, burger sauce, gherkin ketchup and duck-fat fries and a bowl of Off Licence for pudding a dessert made of flambé Basque cheesecake, crème fraiche, poached fruit and Crunchies. 

Did you see that Soho’s infamous Colony Room Club is making a big comeback?

Plus: beloved artisan bakery Astrid is opening its first permanent shop in north London.

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