Ex-Caravan head chef to open restaurant in Shoreditch

Joan is a new restaurant and bar headed up by Niko Kontogiannatos, who was previously head chef at Caravan Fitzrovia, which is opening in Shoreditch on Monday 2 November.

Located in an old leather factory on Bethnal Green Road, Joan will serve an all-day modern Mediterranean menu inspired by Kontogiannatos’ native Greece, as well as the style of food from his time at Caravan.

Initially open for dinner during the week and for brunch on weekends, Joan will serve dishes containing ingredients all made from scratch in-house – from the bread to the ice cream.

Small plates include hispi cabbage, pancetta lardons, croutons, anchovies and garlic sauce; salmon tartare with avocado sorbet and squid ink tuile; and roasted cauliflower with spiced cumin yogurt, coriander and harissa.

From the grill there will be braised mushrooms with chargrilled baby gem, tofu dressing and pumpkin seed pesto; slow-cooked lamb shoulder served on a bed of sourdough flatbread, sweet pepper sauce and finished with goat cheese; and pan-fried fillet of cod with n’duja cannellini beans stew and lemon gremolata.

For dessert, Joan will offer a range of Kontogiannatos’ own ice cream and sorbets including blood orange sorbet; green apple sorbet; and chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry ice cream.

There will also be orange pie, with white chocolate cream, orange gel and crispy filo; chocolate vegan cream with raspberry sorbet, sesame tuile; and lemon cream with Italian meringue, raspberry sorbet, and honeycomb.

At the weekend, brunch will include sesame bread with blanched kale, cottage cream, hot smoked salmon and horseradish; pancakes with milk chocolate cream, bananas, honeycomb and caramel sauce; and soft chocolate cookie with vanilla mascarpone and caramel sauce.

A short menu of local beers, classic cocktails, and wines from European producers will complete the line up.

Joan will closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, then open from 4-10pm Wednesday to Thursday, and from 12-10pm on the weekend.