Nick Gibson and Damian Clisby to launch joint restaurant venture

Opening on the site previously occupied by Swedish restaurant Rök, Emile (named after Clisby’s grandfather) will ‘focus on robust, rewarding food with a Mediterranean influence’.

Initially operating as a six-month residency, the restaurant will have 40 covers and serve a daily changing menu.

Dishes available at launch are set to include potato and butter ravioli with porcini; venison loin with Kalibos cabbage, plum and thyme; and a sharing plate of Paddock Farm pork rib with anchovy and capers.

“We’ve been chatting for a while about doing something that would combine Damian’s love of cooking with my passion for wine, and our shared love of hospitality,” says Gibson, who opened The Drapers Arms in Islington ten years ago.

“Emile is exactly that and we’re looking forward to seeing how it evolves.”

“I’ve been wanting to get back to doing what I love – hands-on cooking, actually creating, rather than overseeing large kitchens and brigades – for some time and Emile gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that,” adds Clisby.