This September, SESTA, a new wine bar and restaurant from Drew Snaith and Hannah Kowalski, will open in Wilton Way. SESTA will take over the site of Hackney institution Pidgin, where Snaith is currently Head Chef, and Kowalski was General Manager, breathing new life into the beloved Hackney spot.
SESTA is the first restaurant from Snaith and Kowalski, who first worked together at Brunswick House, then again at Pidgin, solidifying their friendship. The duo, along with the current Pidgin back and front of house teams, including Sous Chef Ben Ing and General Manager Majalis Lundstrom Celedon, will reinvent the site as SESTA, a neighbourhood spot serving an à la carte menu championing British seasonal ingredients. The eclectic menu will showcase Snaith’s distinctive style, with modern, creative takes on British and European classics. It will also feature nods to Snaith’s time travelling in Southeast Asia with his father, and embrace his love of live fire cooking.
Sesta will also pay tribute to the many restaurants Snaith and Kowalski have worked in previously, such as Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Brunswick House and Kitty Fischers, and all they learned along the way.
The à la carte menu will change according to the seasons. Much of the produce will come from Shrub, who connect restaurants with Sussex farms, for the freshest ingredients, harvested daily. Snacks will include: Devilled Egg, Wind Sausage Emulsion, Trout Roe, and Chive; Nduja Scotched Olives; Beer Bread, Parsley Pesto Butter; and a Doddington Cheese Scone Topped with Braybrooke Rarebit, a recipe Drew learned from his grandmother as a child.
Starters will include the likes of Braised Beetroot, Blackcurrant Molasses, Sunflower Seed Cream; Smoked Eel and Lovage Quiche, Parmesan Soubise; and King Oyster Pate De Campa, Cornichons, Miso and Pumpkin Seed Cracker.
For mains, there will be Cider Flambee Mussels, Caramelised Cream, Lemon Verbena and Bottarga Toast; Cornish Brill, Hard Herb Pil-Pil, Aggressive Aioli; Mutton Bacon Ribs (which have been cured and smoked like bacon), with Fermented Garlic and Thai Chilli Honey and Coriander Mustard. The menu will always offer a large sharing cut of meat available, such as the Slow Grilled Stuffed Duck, Morteau Sausage, Beer Braised Spinach, Duck Fat Potatoes, Liver Parfait, Mirabelle and Tamarind Chutney (for two or four), and will often showcase lesser used cuts.
Desserts will feature a selection of riffs on comforting classics, such as the Chilled Rice Pudding Brulee, Blackberry Ripple with Lime Leaf Ice Cream and Stone Fruit Pie, with Stone Custard and Caramelised Milk.
A dynamic and ever changing list of natural wines by the glass and bottle, with a keen focus on French wines and wider Europe, has been curated by Kowalski. The list focuses on small producers who in turn create wines with character and a sense of place, and with an emphasis on sustainability. There will always be an extensive list of wines by the glass on offer, with a style to suit everyone and every occasion, from the easy drinkers, to those bottles to be remembered.
Snaith and Kowalski have worked with General Manager Majalis Lundstrom Celedon (ex Pidgin and Studio Frantzen), to create a cocktail list including a Mezcal Negroni, with Belsazar rose vermouth, Campari and lime; and Blackberry Juice with gin, homemade peanut syrup, lime and Thai basil oil. SESTA will also make spirits in house, including their Blackberry Liqueur made with foraged blackberries, coriander seeds, juniper and long pepper. SESTA plans to make their own mead - with Elderberry Mead first on the list.
SESTA will seat 26 covers inside, with plans to introduce counter dining later in the year. The cosy, stylish interiors will be deep blue with flecks of gold, and dark walnut wood table tops, with rotating art from local artists adorning the walls. Outside, there will be an intimate terrace, planted with flowers and herbs, for guests to spill out onto the street.
There will be a mixture of reservations and allocation of tables for walk-ins.
