Barboun to open in Shoreditch

A new Eastern Mediterranean restaurant and bar is set to open in Shoreditch this month. Chef Hus Vedat is behind the launch of Barboun, whose name is taken from the Turkish name for red mullet, and the kitchen will be led by Fezile Ozalgan. Ozalgan will use Vedat’s “philosophy” of “using great ingredients and cooking with smoke and fire from the robata and josper grills”. The site will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also features a ‘grab-and-go’ deli. The breakfast menu features a “traditional” spread of jams, olives, cheeses and cold cuts from the region, as well as Turkish tea and coffee. It will serve classic Turkish breakfast such as çilbir and shakshuka, as well as a Levantine-style cooked breakfast. Its all-day menu is influenced by the “history and tradition” of the Levantine region with a “modern, London interpretation”. Other dishes include taramasalata with bottarga, smoked aubergine with burnt tomato and almond, beetroot fritters with whipped garlic feta, sundried aubergine dolma stuffed with sour cherry, bulgar and garlic yoghurt and London halloumi with apricots and walnut. Sharing plates include hay smoked short rib with condiments, pickles and lavash for two, and a long bone tomahawk steak marinated in Anatolian spices. Barboun is a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and the menu will be seasonal and have sustainability “at its core”. The restaurant’s interior was designed by Fabled Studio, who created a “light and airy feel to complement the Mediterranean menu”. Ozalgan said: “I’m really excited to be given the chance to head up my first restaurant in such a vibrant area like Shoreditch. “I’ve been really privileged to work with Hus on developing a menu based on cuisine so close to our hearts. Personally, my love of this style of cooking stems from watching my father cook family meals over open flames. “The menu evokes these memories for me, and I can’t wait to share it with London audience, through a menu of new dishes and traditional spices.” Vedat is also behind acclaimed Soho restaurant Hovarda, as well as the now-closed Yosma.