Tomas Lidakevicius' Borough Market restaurant Turnips goes permanent

By James McAllister

- Last updated on GMT

Turnips restaurant goes permanent in Borough Market by former City Social executive chef Tomas Lidakevicius

Related tags Al fresco Borough market Restaurant Fine dining

Turnips, the 'vegetable-centric' pop-up concept led by former City Social executive chef Tomas Lidakevicius, is to become a permanent restaurant within London's Borough Market.

The al fresco restaurant, first launched in July last year​, is spearheaded by Lidakevicius in partnership with Charlie Foster, son of Caroline and Fred Foster who started Turnips in Borough Market more than 30 years ago.

The decision to make the restaurant a permanent fixture follows Foster's decision to refit the market stall space during the most recent lockdown period.

Turnips' dining space is split into two areas, with dedicated seating around where the Turnips stall usually trades serving a selection of small plates and cocktails; while under the arches across the road, Lidakevicius offers a six-course fine dining option in the evenings. 

The menu is driven by the market stall's daily delivery of fruit and veg.

Construction of every dish begins with Lidakevicius and Foster discussing what ingredients are best in season and should be championed.

Sample plates to feature on the fine-dining menu include asparagus with parmesan and herring roe; French peas with Sicilian Lemon and Norwegian king crab; and chicken of the woods with morels and lamb.

Fermentation plays a key role in many of the dishes, with the pair creating a custom-built, temperature-controlled fermentation room, which at the moment is being used to produce bilberry kombucha; wild garlic kombucha vinegar; mackerel garum; and miso’s of pea and mushroom.

Dishes set to feature on the daily-changing include brassicas with cheddar and gorgonzola and hens egg; ridged cucumber with shiso yoghurt and grilled mackerel; and wild garlic with salanova lettuce and chicken thigh.

Dessert options, meanwhile, include tulameen raspberries with double chocolate cake; and rum babá with Victoria pineapple and alphonso mango.

The wine list has evolved in a manner that is in keeping with how Turnips supplies its stall, starting with a UK-focused nucleus that evolves outward to encompass bottles from further afield.

  1. Cocktails, such as a pea negroni or fermented blueberry old fashioned, mirror the ethos of the food by focusing on the raw product first and foremost before building the drink.

Related topics Restaurant Openings Fine Dining

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