Shoreditch has spent the last decade flirting with just about every regional American food trend imaginable, but Appalachia - the new restaurant opening on Nile Street this summer - might be the first to arrive with cornbread madeleines, miso grits and a soundtrack that probably deserves to be played from a crackling vinyl record rather than an iPhone speaker.
Taking over the former Counter 71 site, this intimate restaurant comes from chef Ryan Sheenan and front-of-house partner Camilla Meshiea, who are swapping the previous tasting-menu minimalism for something moodier, smokier and considerably more bourbon-soaked. The inspiration comes from the Appalachian region of the American South - a mountainous stretch running from Mississippi to New York - though thankfully the restaurant appears less “theme park log cabin” and more low-lit downtown listening bar with excellent flavour combinations.
The tiny chef’s counter remains, where diners will sit directly opposite the kitchen, watching dishes emerge which offer an elevated take on Southern comfort food, focusing on traditional cooking techniques that favour fire and smoke. Though the restaurant isn’t yet open, the taster menu has already been released and shows off a selection of sharing plates that allow you to try a little bit of everything. For example, there’s juicy beef tongue and braised pork skewers, alongside grilled duck heart tacos with house hot sauce, and braised Pinto beans with new season potatoes and summer vegetables. Slightly larger dishes include the half grilled chicken
with miso grits and butter sauce, and personally, we’d be up for trying the curry omelette with spiced crab and seaweed beurre blanc. Appalachia is scrimping on dessert, either. For sweets there’s a few options, including the banana pudding choux bun, summer fruit cobbler and Lynchburg lemonade sorbet. While the full interiors are still under wraps, a few sneak peeks have revealed a luxuriously rich colour palette spanning deep marble table tops and verdant, glossy tiling. Low lighting and cosy banquettes gives a date night, cocktail bar feel, complemented by the already well established Lowcountry downstairs.