Kirk and Keeley Haworth confirm opening date for permanent Plates restaurant
Opening on 3 July, Plates will serve a tasting menu of six or seven courses that will ‘aim to change the perception of how fruits, vegetables and plants can be transformed’.
Kirk and Keeley originally launched Plates back in 2017 and has operated numerous pop ups and residences under the brand, most prominently at Untitled bar in Dalston.
The concept, which serves dishes that are free of dairy, red meat, gluten and refined sugar, is inspired by the ‘transformative’ plant-based diet Kirk adopted after being diagnosed with Lyme disease, which he says was at the core of his recovery.
“Since launching Plates in 2017 I have been on a mission to change the perception of fruits and vegetables through my passion for flavour in this unique style of cookery,” he says.
“After many years of searching for the perfect restaurant we’re thrilled to be opening in Shoreditch this summer.”
Kirk, who has previously cooked at renowned fine dining restaurants including The French Laundry and Restaurant Sat Bains, and was recently crowned the Great British Menu 2024 Champion of Champions, will lead the kitchen at Plates, with Keeley overseeing the operational side of the restaurant.
The launch menu will include dishes such as carrots brined in Korean aromats, lightly smoked and caramelised over coals, topped with leek-top kimchi, whipped aioli, crispy wild rice and spirulina powder, and served with pickled kohlrabi and spiced pear; and ravioli filled with a mung beans and tomato reduction, and served with a sauce of miso, toasted yeast and cashew milk.
Kirk’s banquet winning ‘A Taste of Unity’ dessert (pictured) from this year’s Great British Menu will also feature.
The dish consists of sour cherries set in the middle of a sponge ring and served with a cacao gateau with cherry gel, vanilla caramel sauce and Australian toasted macadamias that’s then dusted with cacao and topped with Asian coconut blossom ice cream.
Holding 25 covers, Plates’ interiors have been designed in collaboration with London-based studio Design & That and will take an environmentally conscious approach, featuring a bar crafted from repurposed felled London trees.
