Neil Rankin to fire up new Soho barbecue restaurant

Designed to offer a stripped back dining experience, the 198-cover venue will seat 42 guests around an open kitchen and fire pit, where pork, lamb and goat will be cooked whole in front of their eyes.

Beef dishes will include leg shawarma, smoked ribs and grilling joints, with all meat available in 100g+ cuts with a range of seasonal vegetables, allowing diners to customise their choice.

A seven-cover taco bar will also open above the restaurant, using leftover beef fat to make tortillas and butter.

The nose-to-tail concept is designed to make temper almost totally waste free, with even animal bones harvested for broth.

However, there will also be a ‘robust’ vegetarian menu with dishes including Heritage Tomatoes, Peach and Mint; and Aubergines with Oregano, Preserved Lemon and Tahini.

Rankin, a former Pitt Cue chef who launched Smokehouse and Bad Egg,​ said he wanted to move away from small plate concepts for his first solo venture.

“It’s really just meat - cooked well and served with bread, salad, condiments and a nice glass of wine,” said Rankin.

“I have often felt that some meat focused restaurants are overly masculine and put the emphasis too heavily on large cuts of meat. I wanted to create a restaurant that offered choice, not only in terms of portion size, but also in animal breeds, sides and sauces – giving back the control to the customer and allowing them to decide what they eat.

“I want temper to cater for those big meaty celebration dinners, but also for super-fast lunches and lighter more vegetable focused meals.”

Temper will also offer a range of wine and food pairings, alongside mescal, whisky, gin, cocktails and beer.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Rankin and his business partner Sam Lee, who is also managing director of the restaurant.