Cycene

Cycene is old English for ‘kitchen’ but this slick, Michelin-starred fine diner in Shoreditch is unlikely to resemble any kitchen you’ve seen recently, unless you’ve been bingeing Grand Designs reruns. From the moment you buzz yourself in via the restaurant’s covert front door, the atmosphere is hushed, cosseted. There’s a temple-like serenity to Cycene, and pleasing simplicity to the design that whispers quiet luxury.

The downstairs bar area is all clean geometry, sharp, angular lines and shadows, and as the first few courses arrive, the food feels almost sacrosanct, placed with reverence in front of us on a procession of extremely desirable handmade ceramics.

Head chef Taz Sarhane’s thoughtful dishes are explained in great detail; Cycene is the sort of restaurant where you appreciate some instruction - it’s all about experience. Sarhane spritzes an opening salvo of broth with Pedro Ximenez vinegar, which aerosolises and cuts through the laces of pork fat on its surface. Later we’re led upstairs to the kitchen, where he warms a slice of 60 day aged tuna over a block of Himalayan salt, methodically turning it until the fat glistens. Freshly grated Japanese wasabi and a touch of foie gras takes this already amazing ingredient to stratospheric levels.

Stop three on the tour is the beautiful dining room, with its white, starched tablecloths and hypnotic candles. Where some experience-led tasting menus like to kick the pace up a bit, Cycene stays at a relaxed andante, the tempo dictated by flickering candlelight. There are some beautiful courses among the group, including an incredible slice of Wagyu sirloin, graced with a glossy langoustine sauce, reduced to a deep shade of maroon. Cycene doesn’t hold back on luxury, and nowhere is that more evident than with a fat chunk of lobster, finished on binchotan charcoal and topped with a rich, aerated crab mousse.

Any negatives are only small - one or two dishes feel driven more by concept than flavour, and at £175 Cycene is in a pool with London’s biggest fish. It perhaps isn't amongst the capitals very elite, but Cycene is utterly distinct and fascinating. As you spill out onto Redchurch Street at the end of the night, you’ll certainly feel that you’ve experienced one of London’s most unique restaurants.

James and Christie Brown, co-founders of The Blue Mountain School, have joined forces with chef Taz Sarhane to launch Cycene (meaning ‘kitchen’ in old English) - an experience-driven restaurant that serves an eclectic, modern tasting menu.

The Blue Mountain School is a shop and cultural space in Hackney and, until early 2022, was the home of Nuno Mendes’ restaurant Maos. It was a small operation, serving a mere 16 covers around a communal table for dinner, and has since closed. Cycene is Maos’ replacement, a slightly bigger offering that’s set over two floors, but still with the same desire to 'emulate the feeling of dinner in a private home'. 

Sarhane is serving up a 10-course menu with a focus on seafood, seasonal produce and lots of wild and foraged foods. Guests are invited to start with a drink and snacks in the ground floor bar, before moving into the literal kitchen (like the name) for their second course. The rest of the menu is served in the dining room which includes dishes like razor clam with beremeal and hazelnut, cod with coco beans and dill emulsion, and Wagyu sirloin with langoustine sauce and apricot, at the time of writing. . 

The wine list has been put together by James Brown, while a range of kombuchas and ‘elixirs’ comprise the non-alcoholic drinks offering. Cocktails are also served in the bar, which include things like a Fig Negroni and a Burnt Old English as a twist on an Old Fashioned.  

Finally, the much-expanded restaurant means that it can now age all its own meat and fish on site, while a private dining room is available to hire for parties of up to six people.