Oranj announces first permanent menu and culinary director

Following three years of chef residencies, Shoreditch restaurant and natural wine bar Oranj is entering a new era with the launch its first permanent menu, also recruiting the restaurant's first culinary director. 

Founder Jasper Delamothe has appointed twice former resident Yuto Fujimoto as culinary director, who has developed the new menu set to launch on 14 October. 

Oranj has operated as an online natural wine retailer for five years and as a restaurant and wine bar for three, recently relocating from its original Bacon Street site to a larger venue on nearby Dray Walk. 

The Oranj experience

Through Oranj, Delamothe champions natural low-intervention wines that are carefully paired with the food. His respect for chefs has attracted a roster of memorable residencies throughout the years, from husband-and-wife pop-up legends Ha's Đặc Biệt, now with their own Vietnamese-American restaurant in New York; to chef and award-winning author Sami Tamimi, who showcased flavours and ingredients from Palestine; and Jesús Durón, former head chef of acclaimed Mexico City restaurant Pujol. 

"By the end of each Oranj residency – whether it was a week or a month long – I'd be in this incredible groove with the chefs, on a high from our customers' feedback, so saying goodbye was never easy and many of those chefs have become great friends," Delamothe explains. "Working with Yuto, who also catered for my wedding this year, has felt so natural and something that I simply couldn't allow to end. Luckily for me, he felt the same way."

The restaurant's new permanent menu features small plates, large plates and desserts that will change with the seasons. Unlike chef Fujimoto's residencies at Oranj, the menu has been crafted for longevity. It is rooted in European influences, with highlights including homemade gnocchi with sage and sep sauce, monkfish with chard and lemon butter sauce and oyster mushroom with cured egg yolk sauce. 

The venue accommodates 72 covers, including outdoor seating, plus a private dining room for 10–34 guests. In addition to private bookings, this separate dining space will be used for occasional residencies. 

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