If you’re a local to East Dulwich, you may have been wondering what happened to the old Il Mirto restaurant in Melbourne Grove. Now we can reveal it’s going to be a very interesting new neighbourhood restaurant called Norbert’s.
What’s so interesting about a kebab shop, you might be thinking? If we told you it’s owned by John Ogier (ex-The Outlaws and Lasdun) and head chef Jack Coghlan (ex-Plank and Lyle’s), you might be impressed.
We caught up with John yesterday to find out more about what’s next. “I’ve had this in my head for a long time,” he told us. “After doing projects like Lasdun, I felt I wanted to do something more local. I live here. My kids go to school here and Jack is quite local too (he lives in Peckham).”
Roast chicken seems to be all the rage at the moment. “It’s annoying,” John said. “I don’t like to jump on trends but I’ve been planning this for two years.” So what’s so special about their shop? “The location and the small space. Jack and I will be centrally located so we can make super tasty chicken at the right price.”
They are still looking for a chicken supplier, working out the right size for the roast chicken on farms in Yorkshire and Suffolk. The roast chicken will be treated with top-secret spices (“I could tell you the recipe but I’d have to kill you”) and served with roast potatoes and chips, and a “very tasty salad”, we’re told. Starters on the launch menu include:
Puffed sweetbreads
Chicken liver pate and brioche
Salt cod pate
John is lucky his partner is Helen Evans, owner of Eric’s in East Dulwich. She’s making milk bread for Norbert’s Bakery so they can serve it with roast chicken and confit garlic on a lunchtime roll, with a cup of chicken soup, for just £10. Vegetarians won’t miss out either, as there’s also a milk bread with radish mayonnaise on offer.
To go with the food, there’s a cocktail menu, including a Pina Colada, Pisco Sour and a Norbert Margarita with a chicken-skin salt rim.
The space isn’t big – it only seats 20 – but the vibe is impeccable, and the playlist is heavy on 70s/80s/90s hits – Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me is perfect. “I’m not cool, and I don’t try to be,” John insists. “We just want to create a welcoming atmosphere. You can bring your kids in for lunch, or have a glass of wine with friends later in the day.” If you want to have a chicken dinner at home, they also offer takeout.
“I can’t stand people taking themselves too seriously,” John says. “I want a relaxed, fun place to work.”
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