“Our mission is to completely re-invent the perception of the sausage,” says Mariam French, managing director of X-Upper, a new restaurant launching in Islington on Friday March 1.
To be fair, these guys have certainly done their homework. Their quest to source the best quality sausages took them to 14 cities across Europe, walking a combined total of 152km and trialling over 500 different sausages along the way.
From this pool of 500, X-Upper have scaled down their shortlist to cover six ‘core sausages’, which you’ll be able to enjoy either as part of a sit-down meal or to grab-and-go.
The restaurant has worked with top London chefs to create a recipe for each, including the Olma Bratwurst: a protected Swiss bratwurst which is served with a signature purple mustard, pickled cabbage, and milk + honey sourdough. Your average hot-dog stand, this certainly is not.
Priced between £8 and £12, X-Upper will also offer a range of daily rotating specials including the likes of Austrian Käsekrainer – sausage filled with chunks of cheese – and a smoky Polish Kielbasa.
Chef James Tanner – of Ready, Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen – has developed the menu supported by Francesco di Marzio, who has worked at Mayfair’s double Michelin-starred restaurant The Greenhouse.
“Forget what you think you knew about sausages,” adds French.
“Sausages, in their many forms, are loved and consumed by millions of people. Through our travels around Europe, we uncovered a set of amazingly delicious and high-quality sausages and I can’t wait for Londoners to be exposed to the richness of our yummy products.”
X-Upper will open daily from 11am to 11pm, with room for 40 covers to start with. The restaurant plans to cater for an extra 40 upstairs – and 20 on an outside terrace – a little later in 2019.
Interiors will feature exposed brickwork, a vibrant urban neon décor and specially commissioned urban art.
Sausages-aside, the restaurant has also put a lot of thought into its drinks menu, where you’ll be able to wash your wurst down with a selection of wines, premium soft drinks or craft beers from the FourPure brewery.
Keep your eyes peeled on 88 Upper Street for further updates; the restaurant plans to offer free sausages to the first 500 customers through the doors when it launches to the public on the opening day of March.
X-Upper will open at 88 Upper Street, N1 0NP on March 1. More details available here.
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