An impressive new neighbourhood-style restaurant will open in Dalston from Thursday, January 31.

EartH Kitchen is a joint venture from Auro Foxcroft – founder of Village Underground – and Chris Gillard, a former executive chef at the St. John Group. This 150-cover restaurant slots in next to EartH’s newly opened concert hall and theatre, where the focus is on events that are “broad, global and rooted in the highest quality artistic pursuit.”

If, like us, you were wondering about the name, EartH is an abbreviation of Evolutionary Arts Hackney.

“I’ve cooked everywhere from St. John to muddy festival fields, and EartH Kitchen will draw on all of those elements: an emphasis on traditional hospitality, all food made in-house and a willingness to experiment,” explains Gillard.

“We’re all about Modern British food in 2019; EartH Kitchen is a community-focused restaurant, and while my background is that I’ve worked for a long time at St. John – I’ve lived in east London for all that time.

“It feels very much like a neighbourhood restaurant, with a little bit more of a casual vibe.”

Based on the first floor within a former cinema foyer, this spacious new venue has been designed by Transit Studio. Stand-out features include a sculptural mirrored-ceiling, polished plaster walls and Crittal windows offering views of Stoke Newington Road.

Gillard will work with the best ingredients he can lay his hands on, with a strong focus on “provenance and seasonality.”

Sample plates include griddled mackerel, beetroot, leaves and horseradish; pork and duck rillettes, cornichons and toast; and tender slow-roast lamb breast with pickled raisins and mint. There’s plenty in it for vegans and vegetarians, too, including crispy polenta, roast carrots, fennel, radicchio and salsa verde.

Gillard adds: “We’re breathing fresh life back in to this old building. It’s going to be fairly unique in Dalston in terms of its scale – while there are quite a few nice places that are a bit smaller, we’ll have 150 covers.”

EartH Kitchen plan to host Thursday jazz nights and low-key DJ sets come Sunday, with an accompanying cocktail bar serving up classic drinks managed by another former St. John figure in Toni Castillo.

Tying in with the community feel of this place, Gillard’s kitchen will also offer a chance for the next generation of chefs to develop their skills.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming apprentices from Hackney City College – EartH Kitchen is a place for training, and for talent to be nurtured.

“Having run kitchens that are fairly prestigious, this feels like a community project in terms of both the staffing and the clientele. We haven’t got a confirmed apprentice yet, but we will be advertising for one and looking to get some trainees in – it’s certainly an aspiration.”

EartH Kitchen opens on Thursday January 31 at 11-17 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BH. For more details, click here.