Chef to bring Mediterranean food with a 'smoky, sweet pop' to Belsize

A north London chef is opening up a new Mediterranean restaurant in Belsize Village, promising to bring fresh, smoky, fire-cooked cuisine. 

Ritz-trained chef Jake Finn plans to open Cinder restaurant at 66 Belsize Lane in March.

He said it will be an ingredient-led restaurant focused on seasonality and sustainability, sourcing direct from small farms in the Cotswolds and the shires for his charcoal-fired Josper oven.

"When you think of barbecue you think of heavy meat grill," said the 32-year-old.

"What I’m doing is really freshly grilled veg. For example, you take bell peppers and burn them in the fire, and then peel them, and they’re soft and sweet and have a lovely smokiness.

"One of the dishes on my menu is leeks. So what I’ll do is take the leak in its skin and char it until it’s blackened and soft and smoky, but then you peel that layer off and what you’re left with is a vibrant, green, smoky, sweet, oniony pop - and it’s delicious."

Cinder will be at 66 Belsize Lane, and you can follow it or Jake on Instagram with @cinder_london and @chefjakefinn.

Chef Jake Finn - Credit: Andrew Crowley