Nathan Outlaw protégé, Tom Brown has today announced the launch of his debut restaurant, Cornerstone, which is set to open on Tuesday 24 April.
The 46-cover restaurant will showcase Brown’s own style of simple, clean and produce-driven cooking. Named after Brown's favourite Arctic Monkeys track, Cornerstone will have a flexible and regularly changing menu dependent on what ingredients are available - ensuring only the best of British produce is used.
Designed for sharing, dishes will include: Raw mackerel with lime pickle, coconut yogurt and crispy garlic; Marinated squid accompanied by black pudding, blood orange and a brown butter dressing; Roast cod served with Cafe´ de Paris hollandaise, and Ox tongue served with salt cod, tomatoes and gremolata.
For dessert Cornerstone’s pear crumble accompanied by Earl Grey ice-cream or Coffee ice-cream sandwich served with a banana, pecan and rum sauce. British cheeses and homemade pickles will also be available.
The short international wine list comprises 22 bins, with a focus on natural, organic and biodynamic wines to complement the menu. The list has been carefully selected by Brown and the team who will work closely with suppliers to ensure the menu is kept exciting and relevant.
Home infused cocktails are also available, such as ‘One For The Road’ (Blood oranges, Red vermouth, Dewar’s 12-year-old scotch, Cherry) and ‘Fireside’ (QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal, Vine Leaf syrup, Egg whites, Lemon). These will be served alongside a good selection of local craft beer and bottled beers.
Cornerstone has also partnered up with Cornish distillery, The Wrecking Coast to create a unique and bespoke gin available exclusively to the restaurant. Cornerstone’s gin will be light and fresh with citrus tones, the perfect accompaniment to seafood.
It has been distilled with cloudy apple juice from Polgoon Orchard in Cornwall rather than water and contains botanicals such as; Juniper, Coriander seeds; Liquorice root, Angelica root, Seville orange, Lemon, Lime and Rosehip. The Cornerstone G&T (Cornerstone gin, Apple, Samphire and Herbal Tonic) will be the restaurant’s signature cocktail.
The kitchen will be situated in the centre of the restaurant and will double up as a counter-bar, seating 11 guests. There will also be additional touches personal to Tom including a 5000-year-old oak table, seating 10 guests commissioned especially after being salvaged from a river in Croatia. The lounge area at the front of the restaurant will be furnished with high back benches from Ercol – perfect for a pre or post dinner drink.
Brown commented, “I am thrilled to finally be opening Cornerstone. It feels like it has been in the pipeline for such a long time now so being able to announce an opening date is very exciting! Watching the transition of the restaurant from design to actually being built is an incredible feeling - can’t wait to get cooking now.”