Trivet

Having worked together at The Fat Duck for many years and holding on to three Michelin stars throughout their tenure, chef Johnny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal’s first restaurant comes with high expectations. Named after a cooking utensil that, the pair say, implies warmth and balance, Trivet is an understated affair in contrast with the duo’s big-hitting background.

Discretely tucked away opposite the Guinness Trust Buildings between Bermondsey and Borough Market, the location feels refreshingly low-key, while the interior is sparse and clean, dominated by Scandi-style woods, all-glass frontage and an open kitchen that adds necessary atmosphere.

Bal makes a big impact with a unique wine list that immediately stands toe-to-toe with London’s best. Rather than big, familiar vintages, he’s turned wine-list protocol on its head, listing regions by date of cultivation to explore the historically significant likes of Georgia, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey and Armenia. This is a list crammed with quirky styles and comparative bargains accompanied by confident, informed advice that helps you spot them.

Lake, meanwhile, cooks a modest menu that favours subtle invention, simplicity and precision over the multi-sensory magic that diners might anticipate. Veal sweetbread came slathered in a rich, cumin-spiked sauce with grilled and raw oyster mushrooms as a foil for richness, while a neatly turned little artichoke was crammed full of truffle slithers and sat in a delicate ‘sourdough’ broth. If that flavour was hard to discern, the bread and butter proper offered no such issue: thick, golden cultured butter and crusty, chewy sourdough were an absolute treat.

One dessert – the Hokkaido potato millefeuille – is already so close to Insta superstardom that staff warned us it frequently runs out. We requested it early and tucked into an essentially perfect pudding of crisp pastry shards holding precisely piped saké and white chocolate mousse alongside a dreamy saké gelato. Unfortunately, the thinly sliced, soft-roasted potato on top didn’t add much beyond Insta-appeal.

Far more worthy of influencer attention was a generous slab of chocolate fondant filled with hot, creamy hazelnut gianduja tempered by a white coffee gelato that might well be the best ice cream in London. Further sweet treats appear as chewy, honey-topped canelés to accompany coffee. Trivet is already one of the best London restaurants in which to enjoy wine; given time to settle in, we suspect the food will soon match the pedigree.

Trivet in Bermondsey is the brainchild of two of Heston’s former right-hand men and named after the ancient cooking utensil that is typically devised as an iron tripod placed over a fire to cook on. Co-founders Chef Jonny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal both worked under the esteemed chef during the early two thousands and have since gone on to open their own venture in Trivet. Lake joined The Fat Duck Group in 2005, becoming head chef in 2009 and working with the team there for the following nine years. Bal is widely respected as one of the industry’s leading sommeliers, having won the title of the Best Sommelier of Europe in 2008 and more than twelve years of experience working at The Fat Duck Group, working to pioneer new ways to pair food and drinks.

The dining room at the pair’s joint venture is stylishly modern with wood panelled walls and yellow leather banquette seating lining one side of the space (the colour was apparently chosen in honour of the first car Lake bought when he arrived in the UK, which he says he later sold to Bal). While the restaurant is the main focus of the wider space, there is also a very generous bar area which sees suspended brass shelves hung above the large marble counter which is flanked by comfortable, slick-looking stools. Guests are welcomed and encouraged to enjoy a few snacks and drinks here whether they’re planning to join for a full meal or not.

On the menu is a range of expertly executed dishes which use the highest quality ingredients and change with the seasons. Mains range from between around £25-40 and might throw up combinations like chicken with a vinegar sauce or Iberico pluma with beetroot and shiitake mushrooms. The 350-strong wine list allows for perfect pairings.