Joel and Aiste Gazdar, the couple behind Covent Garden’s hugely popular vegan eatery, Wild Food Café, will open their new restaurant on Angel’s Upper Street at the beginning of December.
Following in the footsteps of Wild Food Café, which opened in Neal’s Yard to critical acclaim almost seven years ago, Wild Food Café, Islington, will expand on the couple’s vision for plant-based innovation, offering a menu which they were previously unable to achieve in the limited space of the Covent Garden site – featuring gluten-free wood fired pizzas, a ‘wild’ brunch plus a superfood cocktail bar. While, unlike the original site, this larger venture will also be open for bookings.
Under the experienced guidance of raw food pioneer and executive chef Joel Gazdar, in partnership with head chef Thet Min Tun, Wild Food Café, Islington, will focus on freshly foraged wild and artisanal ingredients, slow raw food processes, and a commitment to organic, heirloom produce that has preserved its medicinal benefits, and is full of vitality and nutrients.
The restaurant’s aim is to maintain as much natural goodness in ingredients as possible, with all dishes on the seasonal menu created to nourish both the body and mind, using innovative techniques to create delicious, creative and healthy food.
The team have worked closely with local organic food producers, growers, artisans and foragers to redefine globally-inspired, British-centred plant-based cuisine and restore the connection to nature and the wild.
The menu will follow a traditional three course format, with starters including innovative dishes such as the Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich Bites - Raw walnut and courgette bread, little gem, black garlic cashew cheese, BBQ pull jack fruit; Succulent scallops of king oyster - Biodynamic oyster mushrooms, herb & garlic dip, wild sea purslane; and Wabi-Sabi Kale Salad - Grilled seasonal squash, sunflower seed sour cream, probiotic kimchi, chestnuts, activated tamari almonds, avocado, wakame.
Mains will include a Living Laksa, a vegan twist on the popular Malaysian dish, which combines a fragrant coconut broth with galangal, lemongrass, ginger, nori, squash. Queen of the Forest will see coconut-seared plantain stew, combined with romanesco, black rice, amaranth, cacao nibs, brazil nuts and pink camu-camu berry essence.
A more refined bar offering will see a seasonally changing “liquid nourishment” menu offering medicinally-focused juices, herbal tonics and superfood smoothies, sit alongside natural wines and superfood cocktails – using organic spirits and medicinal ingredients.
On the new venture, Joel and Aiste commented, ‘Our aim is to work and celebrate nature and the wild in a positive ‘winfinity’ kind of way. We have always seen all that we do as serving and benefiting the local and global community and spearheading the plant-based movement, which is so vital for the individual and collective wellbeing.
'We are hoping to bring this hub to Angel and are very excited to be able to establish a bigger, bolder, innovative restaurant and wellbeing space in North London reaching many more people in Islington, London and beyond.’
Wild Food Café, Islington, will open to the public on 7 December, with walk-ins and reservations available.
