The burgeoning food renaissance of Kentish Town continues apace with news that another restaurant of interest is opening there in the next month. Patron will open on Fortess Road, just round the corner from the hot new bar in town, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Hot Dinners caught up with one of Patron's owners, Tanzi Ellison to find out what Kentish Towners can expect from the new place. Turns out she and partner Jean-Francois have moved their business to North London from Soho, having previously run Cafe Gourmand on Lexington Street.
"Kentish Town has plenty of pubs but it's missing a good wine bar and French restaurant," says Tanzi, explaining the couple's move here. "Somewhere you can just go to relax with a drink at the bar or enjoy some bar snacks and small plates from the kitchen or a full meal."
"We are a French and English couple who live in Kentish Town. We really wanted to create a locals place! Bringing a slice of Paris to our Kentish Town neighbourhood." To that end, they describe Patron as a Cave à Manger - a French bar serving classic French dishes. In practice that means they'll have a brief menu of small plates, charcuterie, cheese and sweets. So expect:
- hand cut steak tartare
- garlic butter escargot
- Camembert fondue
- wild mushrooms on toast
- porc rillettes and saucisson
- with - to finish, dishes like crème brûlée, profiteroles and tarte aux pommes
They'll also have a feature board including around 4-5 mains such as Côte de boeuf, duck confit, moules marinière, fish of the day. The menu will change according to the seasons and they'll be sourcing produce from a combination of local and French suppliers. At weekends there'll be a separate weekend breakfast menu on.
The space itself will be all on one floor with a large Parisian-style curved wooden bar with stools, leather banquette seating with tables and bistro style chairs and an open plan kitchen at the back. There'll also be a small terrace.
As for drinks, Tanzi's promising "a fantastic selection of French wines and a small selection of fine wines." There'll be a short number of cocktails, local craft beer on tap and some selected bottled beer as well as spirits and soft drinks.
Patron will open for dinner on Friday 20 March 2015 at 26 Fortess Road, London NW5 2HB. They'll take bookings for lunch and dinner and will serve breakfast at the weekend. They'll be closed Mondays, open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Friday, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Keep up with their news on Twitter @patronnw5
