"It should be somewhere for all occasions."
The team behind Islington's newest pub say it will be somewhere to pop in for a pint or a glass of wine, but with the option of fine food.
The Hicce Hart will open on November 18 at the west end of Chapel Market in the building whose last incarnation was as Day & Night.
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It is the latest project from Chef Pip Lacey and Gordy McIntyre - the team behind the restaurant Hicce, which opened in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross, in 2018.
Gordy said: "First and foremost, it's a pub. Obviously we've got the restaurant not too far from here, but we're very proud to be custodians of a pub. What we're trying to bring is our version of a modern pub. It's still a place where you can come, grab a pint of beer, a glass of wine, enjoy and be part of the community.
"The joy - the extra bit - is that we serve some amazing food to go along with that.
"It should be somewhere for all occasions."
Pip said: "It's about giving it an identity and that identity will be the people that come.
"This street is amazing, quite mad, it was walking onto a film set the other day. It was bonkers. It feels really cool to be part of it."
Gordy added: "It's a real feel of London, that multicultural demographic. It's exactly why people like myself move to London in the first place, and we want to absorb that."
Upstairs will be the dining room with a wood-burning fire, where patrons. Pip is a former Great British Menu winner, who has Michelin Star experience, having worked for Gordon Ramsey and as head chef at Angela Hartnett's Murano.
"When we got Hicce, we wanted to make Michelin food accessible and make it not too stuffy. It's an open kitchen - it's in an old club and does still have that club vibe, a little bit - marrying that with Gordy's background in pubs, making stuffy food a bit more relaxed, but still with high quality, high standards," she said.
"It's the way food has gone. You don't have to have white tablecloths."
The menu will be sourced mainly from UK suppliers, with a focus on using the whole animal where possible.
Among the dishes getting the pair excited ahead of the opening is beef spare ribs, brined and deep fried in gluten-free flour until they are crispy, served with aged malt vinegar.
With the Islington Town House and the Alma staggered along Chapel Market, and the Three Johns, Castle, The Lexington and Chapel Bar nearby, there is already a scene for socialising, with plenty of opportunity for "a good crawl".
The Hicce Hart will work exclusively with The Goodness Brewery, in Wood Green, for beer, with a Hicce IPA, along with one lager, one stout, one low-alcohol beer, and one hand-pulled cider - all priced the same.
The wine list will change weekly, led by small-batch producers, with hand-pulled wines ensuring maximum profit for producers without waste.
Working alongside Lacey as head chef is Charlotte Harris, who previously worked at
Hicce before moving on to top London restaurants including Fallow.
Hicce's Agustina Basilico will manage the floor at the Hicce Hart, having worked with Pip and Gordy since start.
Pip said: “I’m so excited for us to open our second place. And, to do it with existing ambitious members of the Hicce family, is the dream come true. I can’t wait for them
to flourish and see the Hicce Hart become the heart and soul of the local community.”
Gordy added: “I personally have a massive love for the pub world - its culture, history, its standing within the community.
"Having spent so much of my working life in and around pubs I owe them for a vast majority of the people I hold dear. The pub is one of the few real levellers in life: it showcases the beauty of multicultural London at its finest. To have the privilege to become custodians of such a historical site is a real honour.”
The Hicce Hart will be at 58 Penton Street, at the west entrance to Chapel Market.
Visit www.hicce.co.uk/hicce-hart/ or follow the pub on Instagram @hiccehart
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