Hot on the smoky heels of temper Soho, comes temper City – the second venture from barbecue maestro Neil Rankin and business partner Sam Lee. The original temper opened in Broadwick Street in November last year to a string of plaudits from foodies and critics alike, including Jay Rayner who dubbed it one of London’s most exciting restaurants of 2016.
Its sister site in the City will once again feature a smoky open fire pit and menu laced with meaty goodness, but this time with a spicy, curry twist. Meat will be cooked ‘low and slow’ over oak and charcoal using unique smoking techniques developed by Neil. temper City, opening on 24 July, will also specialise in gin and New World wines.
The eclectic menu will include: Mutton rolls and Laksa lamb belly stovies to start, alongside curries such as the Lamb scotch bonnet vindaloo, Dry goat (similar to a rich and tender Malaysian Rendang), Meatball marrow masala, Dashi chip shop chicken (a chicken stock based thick curry with dashi and spices, poured over temper smoked chicken) and Crispy egg with katsu.
As well as being open for lunch and dinner service, temper City will also be open for breakfast, which is unique to the City site. On the breakfast menu: Boiled egg and peshwari naan soldiers, Banana curry and roti, Avocado, poached egg and sambal roti and Bacon congee.
A thali-style set lunch menu will be available during the week, which will offer a range of fresh vegetables, breads and snacks, as well as a choice of curry or grilled meat.
There are more than 20 gins on the drinks list, including: Xoriguer from Menorca, The West Winds from Australia and KI NO BI from the Kyoto Distillery – the first dedicated artisanal gin distillery in Japan.
Designed by architects Gundry and Ducker, temper City will have an open kitchen at its centre with a six-metre-long grill, two tandoori ovens and a poultry smoker. The open kitchen will be surrounded by a marble top counter which seats 34; booths and banquette seating will also be available for larger groups. There will be a mezzanine which seats 24 guests and which will also be available for semi private hire, as well as an indoor bar and small courtyard drinking area.
Soft launch: 24-29 July with 50% off food.