How London’s New Riding House Bloomsbury Has Global Cuisine At Its Heart

Born in Nigeria, time invested in Barbados and calling London his house, chef-patron Henry Omereye is ‘riding high’ with his signature African-Caribbean fusion cuisine. Ten several years soon after the opening of Fitzrovia’s Riding Household Café, a enterprise with restaurateur Adam White, arrives Riding House Bloomsbury – the most current showcase for Omereye’s sunlight-fuelled delicacies, affected by the chef’s world wide travels.

Collecting a loyal fan-foundation owing to the duo’s significantly-liked present-day all-working day menus (also aspect of the House Café Corporation is Rail Dwelling Café, in Victoria, which opened in 2017), the new opening guarantees to bring a relaxed, ‘neighbourhood’ vibe to Bloomsbury.

“My passion is to open up eating places which can make a important variance to an location,” claims White. “Riding Property Bloomsbury will abide by in these footsteps, delivering the historical aspect of London with a members club-like ambiance, bringing residents collectively by way of offering a broad, obtainable, lively modern brasserie that will work throughout the day for any event.”

The restaurant is observed in Bloomsbury’s The Brunswick Centre, a single of London’s most pointed out, and listed, Brutalist piece of architecture. Interiors, by Lou Davies of Box 9 have an industrial come to feel, with exposed pipes and scrubbed wooden tables, but softened with botanical and pure touches, including hanging plants, inexperienced-velvet banquettes and hessian lighting. Concrete booths are contrasted with salvaged restored home furniture and tables that have been produced by innovative British tradesmen employing repurposed stone, marble and metallic.

Even though at first from Nigeria, Omereye has put in a lot of time in Barbados, namely cooking at some of the island’s best dining establishments including The Cliff and The Cliff Seaside (which he assisted to launch). A passion for each Caribbean and West African flavours performs out on his menus, so diners can hope dishes such as Cocoyam Mash, a twist on the dish the chef’s mom applied to make for him as a youngster Cassava Hummus and Salt Cod Fritters with do-it-yourself Bajan Pepper Sauce.

With each other, Omereye and Driving Residence Bloomsbury’s head chef, Gerald Mirey, who has used time in Japan, have created a variety of new dishes which will start exclusively at Bloomsbury. Modest plates consist of Grilled Flatbread, Smoked Cod Roe, Tomato and Wasabi Tobiko Earl Gray Ured Trout, Citrus Kosho & Bitter Product and Flat Iron Steak & Comté Yakitori With Goma Dare.

Most important dishes incorporate Caraway Harissa Hen and Cassava Chips with Fennel and Cardamom Gravy Miso Grilled Sea Bass, Nuoc Cham & Pickled Cucumber. Desserts will also see new versions of old favourites such as Sizzling Doughnuts with Milk Jam, while breakfast brings Pea Fritters, Oak-Smoked Salmon and Asparagus and Environmentally friendly Shakshuka, Inexperienced Tomato Confit, Asparagus, Spinach, Peas and St. Ewe Egg.

The cafe feels eclectic and varied – the essence, in reality, of fashionable London currently.

Here, exclusively for Forbes, Henry Omereye talks about how travel has affected his cooking.

What is the ethos of Driving Household Bloomsbury?

We believe in building a spot which can serve as a hub to our company – specially all those in the local area. We appear to produce a room that fits all occasions – business lunches, coffees with buddies, dinners with relatives – a members’ club without the need of membership. This is specially crucial to us in Bloomsbury, as there is seriously nowhere else serving a equivalent goal.

What are the signature dishes?

My personal favourite – which has also grow to be a bit of a signature – are the Salt Cod Fritters. Just after a shift I adore to sit down with a plate of Fritters, topped with Bajan Pepper Sauce and a refreshing apple juice to consume. Other standout dishes have to be our Rooster Wings, the Earl Grey Remedied Trout and our Miso Sea Bass.

How would you explain your delicacies?

It is globally motivated and present-day, with specific influences from West African, Caribbean and Asian cooking. Our USP is that you can’t put our menu in a box – all of our dishes are globally inspired, with the team encouraged to use their have backgrounds and inspirations to lead to the menu.

How do you stand out in London – a town that is wealthy in impressive restaurants?

Nowhere else delivers the breadth of menu that we do – you wouldn’t dishes like ours all out there alongside one another somewhere else. We are also not fearful to test new factors and cross around between cultures, which really assists in phrases of standing out.

What influences have inspired your culinary journey?

The key culinary influences from my childhood in Nigeria involve Scotch Bonnet, which was on every thing (and can be witnessed all over my menus currently) and Maggi, a definitely multipurpose seasoning, which I use rather of bouillon or salt, as it gives further flavour and builds a terrific profile. Apart from the immediate culinary influences, my childhood there surely encouraged my culinary journey, as it taught me the definition of really hard get the job done and graft – and to normally be wonderful to people today, which is crucial given the catering field is so smaller.

What are your favorite go-to Nigerian dishes that you enjoy to try to eat?

On a wonderful sunny working day I appreciate Pepper Soup, which is designed with discarded parts of meat, these types of as beef, tripe, goat’s liver and cow’s liver and is total of pepper. I like a nice chilly Mighty Malt – a non-alcoholic Guinness-design drink – to go with it. For dinner, I adore Pounded Yam with Okra Soup – it is super filling and keeps you content through a lengthy change.

You’ve also used time in Barbados, what were the highlights of your time there – culinary or if not?

I learnt a good deal from locals – how they cooked and how they ate, but also how they lived. I was taught how to make Salt Cod Fritters – which are called ‘fish cakes’ there – by my mom-in-legislation but I cherished viewing how the traditional Bajan fish cakes ended up built by the grannies down at Oistins, a Friday fish current market. I also watched how they cooked common dishes, these types of as Oxtail. Over-all, I loved the Caribbean lifestyle and how laid-back again it was. You also have the capability to expend a lot of time on the beach – just before, just after and even during do the job!

What were your favourite Bajan dishes and spots to eat when you lived there?

Nothing beats the ‘Fish Fry’ at Oistins on a Friday night time, but in the week I would constantly go to a person of the cafés within the browsing centre at Emerald Metropolis. They are nothing extravagant but you can often find wonderful things to consume. We would go a number of periods a 7 days and the queue snaked out the building, with folks waiting for traditional dishes, such as rice n peas, oxtail, fishcakes. I’d always choose my decision to Brownes Beach and have it with a Banking companies Beer. I also loved popping into Bubba’s Sporting activities Bar, which served the greatest BBQ hen wings.

What have been your favourite locations to pay a visit to in Barbados and why?

Absolutely nothing beats Brownes Seaside in Barbados – I’d go with my loved ones and look at my little ones swim in the ocean. Or, on a weekday, I’d head to the beach front amongst my shifts and right after perform, I’d be there getting beverages with locals. I also cherished getting the ZR buses with their loud new music and terrific environment.

What inspiration have you taken from the Caribbean for the present-day menu at Driving Dwelling?

Apparent inspirations in our menu can be viewed in the Fritters and Bajan Pepper Sauce, but cooking in Barbados, in specific, taught me to not be fearful to attempt everything. I also learnt some standard recipes there – several of which have been impressed at first by Africa or other islands, this kind of as Jamaica.

You’ve worked in a vary of kitchens, what chef influenced you the most?

The one human being who influenced me the most was Marco Pierre White. When I worked for him he taught me so a lot, from kitchen self-control to how to get the job done inside of a group. He is a significant inspiration to me – not just for his ability, but also how he managed the individuals all-around him.

How would you explain your fashion in the kitchen area as head chef?

I would say it is nurturing. I motivate my team to have enjoyable as lengthy as the kitchen is operate the right way. To encourage longevity, you just cannot always be major. I want my group to delight in on their own while they are at operate. Everywhere you go I have moved, I’ve always been fortunate ample to get users of my group with me and I believe this is for the reason that I’m actually keen on guaranteeing my team progress. My senior sous chef at Bloomsbury, for instance, was initially my apprentice several a long time in the past and a single of our ideal cooks was originally a night cleaner. You have to devote in an individual and create a marriage and then that encourages their finest perform. If you get pleasure from what you do, have enjoyable, perform challenging and spend in people, it all falls in line.

As a chef, how critical is it that the bar presenting also gels with what will come out of the kitchen area?

It is super crucial. When we work on a new menu, the bar staff are normally associated at all details – from progress to tasting. Our bar strategy is overseen by Harry Hughes, who joins us from The Ned, and will see a bar dominated by substantial whiskey barrels of Negroni, Martini, Old Fashioned and Rum Manhattan, aged inside of the barrels. New in-house cocktails involve the Piña Picante with Tequila, infused in-property with pineapple skins and chilli, shaken with citrus and sweetened with agave. Our design and style at Riding Property Bloomsbury displays our idea, with an open bar and kitchen area merging into one particular one more.

How essential are the interiors and overall design and style of a cafe?

A further vital element. A great cafe must have a terrific environment and this has to occur from the design, as effectively as the food items and drink, of study course. The founder of Driving Property Bloomsbury, Adam White, worked on the design and style with Box 9 and created a beautiful space, which lets just about every factor of the encounter to enhance a single a further.