Following the success of its acclaimed Brighton branch, Silo owner and head chef Douglas McMaster has revealed the opening date for a second venue in east London.
Remember remember the 5 of November, because at 6 pm on the upper floor of The White Building, Douglas McMaster in partnership with Crate Brewery will open the doors of his Hackney-based ethical zero-waste restaurant Silo to hungry Londoners.
Long anticipated, the London branch, which will take up space at Crate Brewery’s headquarters in Hackney Wick, was originally set for a summer opening. It follows the success of the Brighton branch which launched in 2014, and it will continue to implement sustainable practices, such as trading directly with farmers and composting leftover scraps, with an aim of continuing to ‘close the loop’ in the food production process.
McMaster is “thrilled to be joining the team and opening Silo in London” which he says “will of course follow the same philosophy with sustainability at the forefront.”
On opening night, Silo goers will be able to choose from a continually changing dinner menu of ten dishes, including grilled fantail squid, Jerusalem artichokes cooked on fire, and golden linseed ice-cream with fig leaf oil.
Silo will also be open for brunch on weekends from 10am with a menu including freshly rolled oat porridge, coddled eggs, kimchi, and black pudding, for which fresh juices made using wonky fruit and veg will be the beverage of choice.
Ania Smelskaya will put a wine list together for the new restaurant, sourced from small, artisanal producers such as Sussex-based wine producer, Ben Walgate of Tillingham Wines, and producers of biodynamic low sulphate wines, Eduard Tscheppe and Stephanie Eselböck-Tscheppe of Gut Oggau.
A cocktail list will also be available, made in collaboration with bartender, Mr Lyan, and the Copenhagen-based grain-to-bottle distillery, Empirical Spirits.
There will also be a fruity Fig Leaf Kombucha brewed exclusively for Silo by Jarr Kombucha, and craft beer from Silo’s partner Crate Brewery.
The opening is a product of this partnership with Crate Brewery; their successful crowd-funding campaign, which launched on 28 February earlier this year, has also enabled a complete refurbishment of The White Building, and the installation of a new state of the art pilot brewery.
Co-founder of Crate Brewery, Tom Seaton is “so excited to be embarking on this new chapter in Crate’s story with Doug and Silo, and to ensure that sustainability and creativity thrives throughout all areas of the business.”
Sustainability will extend off the plate and onto the interiors of the new Silo space, which McMaster says will be an “innovative evolution of Silo Brighton.”
Designed by Nina Woodcroft and material conservationist Seetal Solanki, Silo London will be constructed by materials such as cork, mycelium, and upcycled leather. The venue will feature a large hand-crafted counter made from upcycled plastic packaging by waste materials design and manufacturing house, Smile Plastics.
When not expanding his “sustainable eco-system”, McMaster will be found hosting workshops in a brand new events space next door to the new restaurant.
For McMaster, it is important that “we’re constantly raising the bar when it comes to up-cycling and zero waste,” as he hints at “more exciting developments to come.”
