Latest opening: Larry's
What: An all-day diner inspired by the flavours and cultures found in the Big Apple, and named after 70s dance music pioneer and DJ Larry Levan.
Who: Larry's is the third London restaurant venture for Nicholas Balfe, Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell, who also own Salon in Brixton and Levan in Peckham. Opening next door to Levan, no more than a stone's throw away from Peckham Rye station, Larry's take its cues from the corner bars, diners and cafes of New York. The boys say they were inspired by what they love about eating in the Big Apple, and describe the restaurant as Levan's 'naughty little brother'.
The food: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menus at Larry's are inspired by the melting pot of cuisines found in New York. Breakfast and lunch options, for example, include beloved favourites from the city's Italian-American and Jewish delis such as soft boiled eggs with mortadella, Emmental and focaccia (£10.50); and a Reuben-style sandwich with salt beef, Emmental, mustard and sauerkraut (£8.50). The dinner menu, meanwhile, is drawn from a broader canvas, and also encompasses both Asian and Eastern European flavours. Dishes can include sharing plates of aubergine parmigiana with salad (£12.50); pork schnitzel with red cabbage and gochujang (£14.50); and a salt beef fried rice with hispi cabbage and peanuts (£12.50). There is also a selection of smaller snack plates available such as ‘nduja soaked focaccia (£4.50); potato latkes with fermented chilli mayonnaise (£4.50); and mortadella (£6.50). The restaurant's signature dish though, which is available on both the lunch and dinner menus, is a fresh pappardelle served with a rich chicken liver and 'nduja ragu (£14.50).
The drinks: Larry's eschews having a lengthy wine list in favour of a dynamic, lean and constantly changing offering of two wines of each colour (white, red, orange, rosé, and sparkling). As well as a small selection of regular house wines, the restaurant also serves a constantly revolving list of guest labels sourced from low-intervention winemakers. All wines served are available to order by glass (£5.50 - £10.50), carafe (£19 - £36) or bottle (£26 - £56), and sit alongside a small selection of cocktails (all £10) and beers (all £6).
The vibe: The interiors, designed by Gundry & Ducker, are a nod to Larry Levan’s 1970s heyday and feature tables are topped with orange laminate, surrounded by banquettes and reclaimed green Eames chairs. Day-to-day life at Larry’s revolves around a central bench made from Carrara marble, which is used for pastries and baked goods in the morning; rolling pasta in the afternoon; and communal dining in the evenings. In true deli style, the menus are displayed on a trio of light-boxes positioned above the counter.
And another thing: While this is very much being considered as Larry's grand opening, the restaurant did operate for a few days in March, before the Coronavirus lockdown forced it to prematurely shut its doors again. Speaking to BigHospitality back in June, Gurney described the situation as "bittersweet". "We could see lockdown coming. We opened on Monday evening and closed it on Thursday lunchtime. It's probably the shortest restaurant opening ever," he said at the time. "We hadn't started PR and we were still in the early stages of getting nuts and bolts tightened. We can open again and hopefully do a bit a of a press run when we're back to the new normal."
Unit 5, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London, SE15 4QL
larryspeckham.co.uk/
