After almost three years since he opened the eponymously named Oldroyd restaurant on Islington’s Upper Street, chef/restaurateur Tom Oldroyd has today announced he will open The Duke of Richmond public house & dining room in Hackney this summer.
Located on the corner of Queensbridge Road & Richmond Road - 10 mins walk from Dalston Junction train station, Oldroyd will restore the site to its former glory as a neighbourhood public house and 30-cover dining room.
The pub was originally opened in 1841 and called The Duke of Richmond.The new Duke Of Richmond will offer 85 covers in total, comprising the 30-cover dining room and a further 20 seats outside on the terrace - providing the ideal East London summer drinking spot. The pub/bar area will hold up to 35 revellers and boast a semi-open kitchen with open fire cooking to add theatre to proceedings.
The pub will open seven days a week, with reservations taken for the dining room. Both the pub and dining room menus will have a strong French accent, whilst using the very best of seasonal British produce.
The 30-cover dining room will take bookings and have its own seasonal French a la carte menu, separate from the pub menu. Starters might include ‘Lamb sweetbread & asparagus vol au vent’, or ‘Grilled Orkney scallop, charred purple sprouting broccoli & truffled Beurre Blanc’.
For main course, choose between ‘Roast turbot & béarnaise’, ‘Swaledale lamb en croute with green beans & wild garlic butter’, or an ‘Open lasagne of wild nettles, violetta artichokes & broad beans’.
For dessert, there will be rum baba with grilled pineapple & whipped cream, or crème brûlée custard tart. Tom wants to make it clear that the dining room menu is not served on small plates or designed to be shared, unlike Oldroyd.
In the bar area, Oldroyd will serve classic pub favourites with a French slant, such as the Duke of Richmond’s own ‘Toulouse sausages with mash & roast shallots’ - sure to become a signature. With a free house licence, The Duke of Richmond will be stocked with an array of local and well-sourced beers and ciders, as well as a carefully curated European wine list and a selection of classic cocktails.
Sunday's at The Duke of Richmond will be a big focus for Tom, and will feature an all-day pub roast & rotisserie menu to compete with the best Sunday roasts in London - more details on Sunday’s at The Duke of Richmond to follow.
Heading up the kitchen at The Duke of Richmond will be Rory Shannon. Hailing from Dublin, where his father owns the well-respected Bistro One, Rory moved to London in 2012 and has since gained a wealth of pub kitchen experience at the Canton Arms in Stockwell, before moving on to head chef position at the Winemakers Deptford. Rory will work with Tom on the menu for both the dining room & bar at the new site.
Overseeing the pub decor and restaurant design is Oldroyd’s fiancé, actress and TV presenter Meryl Fernandes, who has been an integral part in the success of Oldroyd over the last three years, overseeing all of the creative at the neighbourhood spot. She will be a regular behind the pub bar at The Duke of Richmond, alongside Oldroyd.