The Brave is a gastropub and restaurant on Essex Road in Islington, where acclaimed chef James Cochran cooks his signature style of food that riffs on his Scottish and Jamaican heritage, using seasonal British produce. Cochran has teamed up with the Seven-Eighths pub group, who also run The Hemingway near Victoria Park, and Hunter S in De Beauvoir.
Cochran rose to notoriety as a one-time Great British Menu Champion of Champions, after a career spent in kitchens such as The Ledbury and The Harwood Arms. He ran his own restaurant 12:51 in Islington for many years, until deciding to close the restaurant in 2024.
Seven-Eighths see The Brave as the 'culinary jewel in the crown for the group' thanks to capturing a big name chef to run the kitchen. The Brave is designed to be 'a fresh take on the British pub', something more akin to a bistro pub. If the idea is to serve a menu that is a bit different to the other excellent gastropubs in the area, Cochran is the man to do it. The menu at the time of writing includes dishes such as Scottish razor clam ceviche with quince, bacon and pine nut, Whitstable rock oyster with smoked bone marrow vinaigrette, and slow braised shin of beef with potato dumplings, hay emulsion, Montgomery cheddar and beef gravy.
There's also plenty in the way of bar snacks to get stuck into if you're just stopping in for a pint, including hash browns with curry sauce, and a Guinness and cheese toastie with bread and butter pickles.
'We’re creating something really special here at The Brave,' said James. 'Given all the love we received from locals when we closed 12:51 this summer, it was a no-brainer for me to open something five minutes down the road.'