Former Fat Duck colleagues chef Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal are to open a new restaurant, Trivet, at the Snowsfields Yard development in London Bridge this autumn.
The 3,250 sq ft restaurant is spread over the ground floor and mezzanine, and offers a bar and cellar.
Bal and Lake worked together for more than 12 years at the Fat Duck Group in the roles of group executive chef and group head sommelier before leaving last year to pursue personal projects.
Joining the pair will be head chef, Michele Stanco and restaurant manager, Melissa Fergus, who spent a combined eight years working under Lake and Bal.
Bal (pictured right) said, “We were looking for an open and contemporary space in a vibrant area – somewhere relaxed and fun where we can celebrate what is in the glass and on the plate.”
Lake (left) added, “The location ticked all the boxes – it is tucked away on a quiet street near London Bridge and Borough Market in an area that is fun, exciting and full of life.”
Lake’s professional cooking career began when he trained as a chef at the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec, Canada, which led him to complete stints at Michelin-starred restaurants Spurcacciun-a and Quintilio in Liguria, Italy, as well as working for legendary Italian chef Gualtiero Marchesi at L’Albereta in Lombardy.
He moved to the UK in 2005 to join the Fat Duck, was named head chef in 2009 and subsequently promoted to executive head chef of the group.
Bal’s hospitality career began more than 20 years ago as a commis sommelier at the Vineyard at Stockcross, near Newbury. In 2008 he won the highly regarded title of Best Sommelier of Europe and passed the Master Sommelier exams a year later.
In his role as head sommelier for the Fat Duck Group, Bal worked closely with the kitchen team, pioneering new ways to pair food and drinks.