Flamboree brings the tarte flambee from Alsace to Old Street

Joel Porter 17 April 2019

flamboreefood

What: Flamboree

In a nutshell: Fast casual restaurant that specialises in the Alsatian dish tarte flambée

Summing it all up: Neil Witney (previously La Bodega Negra, E&O etc) is behind Old Street’s Flamboree which is putting a contemporary spin on the tarte flambée

The low-down

Flamboree has just opened in Old Street and is specialising in tarte flambée, a dish that originates in Alsace in eastern France. If you’ve ever been to Alsace you will almost certainly have eaten tarte flambée, a traditional regional dish dating back to the late 19th century.

For anyone not familiar with the dish, it’s a bit like pizza but the dough has no yeast and is rolled very thinly so the base comes out flakey and crisp after a quick blast in the oven in the restaurant’s gas-fired rotating deck oven. The dough is a lot lighter and healthier compared to pizza dough so you can happily eat one for lunch and not need a lie down afterwards.

Neil Witney, who was previously Executive Chef of Will Ricker restaurants (La Bodega Negra, E&O etc), is behind Flamboree, which is aiming to give the dish a contemporary spin, with both classic and more adventurous toppings. So expect to find these and more on the menu:

Ma’Classique - Dingley Dell smoky bacon lardons, crème fraiche, red onions, Emmental, and herb aioli
Beware the Taliwang – roast chicken, spicy taliwang sauce, spring onion, coriander, kaffir lime leaf, tomato, and Indonesian sweet soy sauce
The Royal Levantine – roasted peppers and aubergines, crème fraiche, feta, tahini, pomegranate pearls and molasses, and za’atar
The Great Veganer – coriander and lemon hummus, slow roast tomato, red onion, grilled aubergine, shaved courgette, and tomato tapenade

As well as the ‘flams' as they’re calling them, Flamboree will have raclette, salads, and a few desserts such as the sweet flam topped with marshmallow, dark chocolate sauce, and ice cream.

On the drinks side, there’s (unsurprisingly) a few Alsace wines including a Reisling and Pinot Blanc as well as Flamboree’s own range of beers brewed in conjunction with London’s Reunion Brewery. One of the beers has even been brewed with Alsatian hops which they sourced especially for the project.

flamboree old street