Update 18/3 - Barnyard is open now - check out the menu here.
2014 is shaping up to a very interesting year in terms of restaurant openings. And surely one of the ones that'll be keenly anticipated is the second restaruant from Dabbous wunderkind Ollie Dabbous. Barnyard is opening just round the corner on Charlotte Street just two years after Dabbous rocketed on to the London restaurant scene, earning Dabbous a coveted five stars and the description 'game changer' by the Standard's Fay Maschler. Overnight it became one of the city's hardest to get into restaurants.
Dabbous won't be the chef at Barnyard - that'll be Joseph Woodland whose background saw him training at The Square before moving on to Launceston Place. But it's very much a project run by Ollie and Oskar Kinberg who runs the bar downstairs at Dabbous. The GM will be Charlie Bolton who helped open Dabbous before going on to run the bar at Burger and Lobster in Mayfair.
"We wanted to do something fun and upbeat," says Oskar about Barnyard. "It’s not another burger or chicken joint. Just home-cooking, done well and without all the washing-up.”
What that means in practice is dishes like homemade Sausage rolls with piccalilli; roast beef on toast with warm horseradish buttermilk and for desserts apple and cloudberry crumble with clotted cream, and bananas and custard.
As you'd imagine, the drinks sound just as interesting - with Hedgerow Shandy (sloe gin, cider, pink grapefruit & tonic), boilermakers, homemade lemonade and popcorn and lavender milkshakes - all of which can be served with or without alcohol.
There'll be one key difference between Dabbous and Barnyard - the latter will not take reservations which should please anyone who's had to wait months for a table at the former.
Barnyard will open at 18 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2LZ in March 2014. Opening hours will be Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 12am and Sunday, 12pm to 4pm.
