On Thursday 11 July, following the success of Lyle’s, one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, James Lowe and John Ogier are heading to SE1's Borough Market to open a new wine bar, bakery and restaurant, Flor.
Inspired by the buvettes of Paris and the pintxos bars in San Sebastián, Flor will be open all day, with a focus on sourdough bread and viennoiserie, produce- and provenance-led cooking, and an approachable wine list.
Split across two floors, Flor will be housed in a 19th century building in the centre of Borough Market, which features floor-to-ceiling Crittall windows flooding the room with natural light, pulled ajar during the warmer months.
Guests can take a seat at the relaxed counter overlooking the open kitchen, or climb the original black cast-iron spiral staircase upstairs, where the space features original brickwork walls, banquette seating and accents of marble and stone.
Flor will open its doors at 8am throughout the week, revealing a bakery counter stacked with sourdough loaves and pastries such as croissants; brioche filled with sourdough caramel; birch syrup Kouign-amann; seasonal Danishes; and a raw cream bun.
Bakers will use British stone-ground wheat from Dorset, milled in-house at Lyle’s where the mother for the sourdough was created five years ago, and is still going strong.
Daytimes at Flor will take their cue from the informality of European dining culture: guests can drop in for a working lunch or take a more relaxed approach with dishes such as cured Mangalitsa and Comté sandwich in fermented potato bread; raw scallop, preserved gooseberry and green tomato; and white asparagus, honey and walnuts.?
As evening draws in, the lights will be dimmed and the kitchen will dish up simple plates for dinner including burrata, grilled bread and salted tomatoes; Cornish pollack brandade and pickled peppers; lamb ribs, yoghurt and black lime; Lyle's charcuterie; whole Dover sole, capers and wild marjoram; and mussel, Spenwood and Vin Jaune flatbread.
To finish, there’s a choice of individual chocolate sabayon tarts, loganberry fool or simple desserts made with any of the fruit the team pick themselves from the farm Lyle's use in Sussex. The wine list at Flor will be sourced from agriculturally responsible producers and a large selection will be available by the glass.
On Saturdays, Flor will be open for brunch from 10am, with a menu featuring dishes such as coddled eggs with trout roe and za’atar; purple sprouting broccoli with cured egg and kipper butter; and eggy bread with maple and black pudding. ?
Ogier said, “We have decided to open a bakery, restaurant and wine bar that we like to think of as the little sister of Lyle’s, following the same philosophy with a love of good quality ingredients but with baking at the heart.”
Lowe added, “Whereas at Lyle’s we focus on the best produce that Britain has to offer, with Flor we will be paying homage to the variety of European ingredients available in London, particularly with Borough Market on our doorstep. It will be a smaller, more laid-back space but with a big personality.”
