After a long 18 month closure, a new team will be joining Tim Healy and Lawrence Hartley, the current owners of Joe Allen's in Covent Garden, London, as it reopens on 15 October.
Russell Norman (pictured right) will oversee the newly created Joe’s Bar, a New York tavern at the front of the restaurant, just off Burleigh Street, and heading up the revamped menu of American brasserie classics and exciting new additions will be ex-Ivy Executive Head Chef Gary Lee (pictured left).
Healy, Hartley, and Norman have taken inspiration from the discreet, neighbourhood drinking dens of downtown New York for Joe’s Bar, creating an atmospheric and welcoming space for drinkers, diners, and pre- and post-show theatregoers.
Flanked by a long, dark walnut counter; a mirrored back bar brimming with spirits; leather banquettes and bentwood bar stools, it will offer the perfect spot for guests to relax and work their way through Russell’s creative but traditional cocktail menu.
Reviving some of the great classics, like the Jerry Thomas Manhattan - an original recipe dating back to 1884 – he will also be serving bone-dry Gin Martinis, perfect Negronis, and the legendary Joe Allen Margarita.
Those looking for something to carry them through to the early hours will be able to enjoy a range of bar snacks, including the ‘Love it or hate it’ parmesan and marmite cheese straws, steak tartare toasts and potato cigars with truffled blue cheese.
Norman’s signature truffled egg toast from well-loved Spuntino will also be making a comeback; a bubbling slice of doorstop white bread with an egg yolk centre, smothered in melted Fontina cheese and infused with truffle oil.
Lee will bring over 30 years’ experience from London icons The Ivy and The Dorchester to Joe Allen, putting his mark on the restaurant’s most loved dishes. Favourites including the full rack of oak-smoked baby back ribs with raw slaw will make a welcome return alongside Joe’s classic Caesar Salad and not-so-secret burger.
New dishes will include starters such as Portland crab and sweetcorn soup alongside shaved fennel, chicory and pecorino salad and crispy duck with watermelon, cress and cashews.
For mains, a classic ‘3 minute’ USDA steak will come served with peppercorn sauce and goose fat potatoes whilst brick flattened chicken will be laden with black eye bean salsa and accompanied by corn muffin, chicken gravy and plantain crisps.
Fans of Joe Allen’s signature American desserts will be able to indulge in a twist on the classics; Pumpkin Pie Brûlée, ‘flipped’ apple tart with pecan pie ice cream and New York cheesecake.
The new team will be joining Joe Allen's longstanding Front of House team; Deborah Fellows and Stewart Moss, the Restaurant Managers, and Maxine Blythe the Assistant Restaurant Manager, all of which have encyclopedic customer knowledge and front-facing experience.
Norman said, “Joe’s Bar at Joe Allen is the bar I always wanted to find in London but never could. Somewhere with sexy lighting, effortless style, friendly service, live piano and great classic and revival cocktails.
'It’s the place to go for a pre-theatre dish or two and a Jerry Thomas Manhattan, or to kick back over a few Martinis and great bar snacks with friends for an indulgent evening. It’s only taken 45 years but finally it’s here.”
Lee said, “I am so happy to be joining such a creative, fun team of people as Exec Chef of Joe Allen, a place where I spent many nights after work tucking into a burger or two.
'Being the well loved institution that it is, it’s a fantastic challenge and I am looking forward to putting my mark on some of the dishes - a modern approach to brasserie food.
'Joes has always been a place for people to just go and sit, eat, chat and enjoy the ambiance, its a space where friends meet friends. Long may that continue.”