HotBox pop-up to open permanent site in London
The new Hotbox is located on Commercial Street in a former art gallery and has 90 covers. It also has a basement bar, 46 & Mercy, with its own drinks and bar snacks menu.
The restaurant menu will be put together by head chef and pitmaster Lewis Spencer, and includes a number of popular dishes from the concept’s pop-up days.
“Ever since we started out with HotBox we’ve worked towards having our own restaurant,” co-founder of HotBox Preeya Khagram-Nasim told BigHospitality.
“We thought doing the pop-up thing was the best way to get close to the customer base and it gave us a chance to really experiment with how to cook this cuisine. We took it to the customers and got immediate feedback on how it was working, which was great.”
World barbecue
HotBox will focus on American-style barbecue dishes inspired by the deep South, but its menu will also include flavours from other parts of the world.
“The main concept was always to go with smoked meat, so the feel, the vibe, the side dishes; everything will complement a smoked meat menu,” explained Khagram-Nasim.
“But we’ve gone a bit further than American BBQ. As much as the smoked beef or pork ribs are the staple and hero dishes, we’ve been able to experiment. We’ve used different cuts of meat and complemented them with arrays of sides that are not necessarily American BBQ-based.”
Some of the restaurant’s more experimental dishes will include fish glazed pork belly masa tacos, smoked Chinese spiced duck pancakes, and hot smoked gravlax salmon. There will also be a large selection of side dishes such as bone marrow gravy mash and smoked Japanese mushrooms.
Experimental drinks list
HotBox’s 46 & Mercy basement bar will serve a varied craft beer menu. It will also have a large selection of Bourbon, Scotch and Rye whiskies.
The bar will have an ‘exciting and experimental’ cocktail menu with drinks including Rye Me To The Moon, made from Rye whiskey, Amontillado Sherry, bay leaf syrup and Abbots Bitters, and Blessed Thistle, a blend of vodka, pork fat and thyme-washed aromatised wine, and lemon.
