A new French restaurant coming to Wapping Wharf has confirmed its official opening date and menu. Lapin, which is headed up by restaurateur Dan O’Regan and executive chef Jack Briggs-Horan, will open its doors on Thursday, April 3, in the former home of Tare Bar.
Promising a ‘fresh and playful spin on classic French cooking, using the best seasonal produce from the UK and Europe’, Lapin comes from the team behind the award-winning fire cooking restaurant, BANK Bristol. The menu is described as falling into traditional courses for starters, mains and desserts, but there will be ‘plenty of room to go all out with snacks, sides, accoutrements and sharing plates’.
Lapin, French for rabbit, will also make a ‘Prix Fixe Menu’ available each day, offering three courses for £29, on a limited basis. The opening menu will feature starters of pig’s head salad with forced dandelion, and lobster bisque a l’Americaine en croute.
Mains include rabbit leg, boudin noir and apples, and skate wing, brown butter hollandaise and sea vegetables. Whole duck a l’orange in bigarade sauce will feature among the sharing plates, with sides such as duck-fat frites and green beans with persillade, on offer.
Those looking to add some additional flair to their meal can choose from accoutrements including a spoon of caviar, a grating of foie gras and a scoop of vacherin, while the dessert menu is set to feature the likes of basque cheesecake with rhubarb, and eclair suzette.
‘One of the more relaxed places to enjoy a decent spoonful of caviar’
All wine will available by the glass. The wine list will take in a wide-ranging selection of French vintages, and some French styles from around the world, described as ‘striking a balance between household names and lesser known gems’.
Dan O’Regan, owner and founder of Lapin, said: “Having got an incredible few years at BANK under our belts, it’s been super enjoyable for Jack and I to work on something altogether different. While respect for ingredients and warm hospitality are central to both restaurants, beyond that we’re heading in a very different direction.
“Sharing plates are a joy, but we feel it’s time for more restaurants to return to a traditional menu structure. And of course, we’re honing in on one set of culinary traditions, albeit bringing Jack’s inventive and irreverent approach to bear on some of the most celebrated dishes in culinary history.
“We’re determined to have a lot of fun at Lapin. I think it’s fair to say we’ll be one of the more relaxed and convivial places where you can enjoy a decent spoonful of caviar.”
Lapin will open in Cargo 2 at Wapping Wharf on Thursday, April 3. Guests can sign up to the Lapin newsletter for the latest updates here, with subscribers set to receive a special offer during opening week. Reservations are now open here.