The Frog – Leaping to success
credit images Tim Green
Brand new restaurant The Frog, in Ely’s Yard at London’s Spitalfields, has recently opened with Chef Adam Handling at the heart of it. The Frog marks the first of a spectacular collection of six restaurants to open by the chef, in a bold statement of ventures that invites diners to join him.
With 60 covers and a 14-cover bar, The Frog will be overseen by head chef Steven Kerr, joined by many of the senior team from Restaurant Adam Handling at Caxton.
Responsible for the design aspects of the restaurant project was Offbeat Interiors, a Cotswolds based design practice that specialises in interiors and bespoke furniture. Offbeat Interiors prides itself in sourcing unique pieces of art and furniture. Passionate about beautiful, quality and quirky pieces, the company handpicks these gems to provide the finishing touch to any home or venue.
To find out more, Premier Hospitality spoke to mother and daughter team Jayne Ewart-Perks and Lucy Ewart-Perks, Directors of Offbeat Interiors. Jayne said:
“It’s a fairly quick turnaround project, with the developments taking place in just a month.
“The brief was to create something that wasn’t uniform – something that was rustic, warehouse-esque and eclectic – so it was a nice, interesting brief and we were given the freedom to be creative which is great for us as interior designers.”
Offering a relaxed environment, various textures have been incorporated to the interiors such as the use of wood and metal, including lots of reclaimed materials for a rustic edge to appear almost like a warehouse. Cosy sofas soften the setting, and a leisurely outdoor seating area is ideal for al fresco dining.
Creating a show-stopping sense of theatre, the open kitchen fits in perfectly with the open plan, airy nature of the entire restaurant, which flows coherently onto the outdoor dining area.
With a technical emphasis, the organic bar offers innovative home-made kombucha tea drinks and cocktails, and cocktail and beer pairings that inspiringly complement the menus. The Frog’s exclusive gin curated by Portobello Gin is something special, and Brew Dog supplies beers and other drinks.
Experienced chef Adam Handling, said:
“The Frog in Spitalfields will be the first of a number of restaurants to be opened under my new restaurant and bar brand over the next five years – with three opening over the coming months, including a new location for my signature site Restaurant Adam Handling.”
Jayne commented:
“We will be working on the next set of restaurants under the chef’s new brand, and this is very exciting for us.
“The timescale has been our biggest challenge I think! We were under pressure to get it done efficiently so that was definitely been our biggest challenge.
“It is really thrilling and Lucy and I are very excited that we were able to work on this project, it is something that is slightly offbeat to what we usually do but as our name suggests, we do take on anything that may be out of our comfort zone or challenging.”
According to Lucy:
“As well as the timescale, the goalpost had changed quite a lot toward the end of the project in terms of what Adam wanted and what he didn’t want; he’s very relaxed however he had altered his ideas on various aspects with the restaurant to ensure it represented exactly what he wanted.
“It’s great for us to be involved, this is our first restaurant project that we have carried out which is exciting! Also it is our first project in London so again that’s a fantastic opportunity for us.”
credit images Tim Green
Adam Handling
An ambitious and driven individual, Handling gained his love for cooking from his mother and began his official culinary training aged 16 as the first ever apprentice chef at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. Subsequently, he went to build upon his experience in London before heading his first brigade as Sous Chef at the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle.
Upon moving back to Scotland, Handling then became the Fairmont groups youngest ever Head Chef at the Fairmont Hotel in St Andrews. His time there culminated in celebrating winning Young Chef of the Year 2011.
Adam eventually took on the role of Head Chef at St. Ermin’s Hotel in St. James’ Park, where he led a team of 22. Following this he entered and became a finalist in MasterChef, the Professionals 2013 and was the viewer’s favourite to win throughout the competition. In recognition of his culinary talent, MasterChef 2014’s finalists were filmed cooking under Adam’s instruction in his kitchen.
September 2014 saw the official opening of ‘Restaurant Adam Handling at Caxton’ in Caxton Street, which has already taken a coveted three rosettes award from the AA. One year after opening, the restaurant won the title of ‘Best newcomer UK restaurant 2015’.
CCE Group Ltd
CCE has been in operation for nearly 30 years with their bespoke fabricators having over 300 years’ experience between them.
London based CCE have recently worked on numerous projects including Hix in Manchester, Polpo in Brighton, Knightsbridge and Leeds, 45 Jermyn Street, 12 Hay Hill Mayfair, Adam’s Restaurant in Birmingham, Classic Fine Foods and most recently The Frog for Adam Handling at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane.
Work undertaken at The Frog by CCE includes design, manufacturing bespoke fabrication, installation of equipment and the installation of equipment from CCE’s head office showroom. Together with their trade partners CCE have delivered a kitchen to suit Adams’ exciting new menu requirements.
CCE specialises in the manufacture warranty on bespoke fabrication, bar design, on-site welding and polishing, stayfresh non slip flooring, wall cladding and hygienic deep cleaning.
Ray Costelloe MD said:
“This was a very quick turnaround as we had a lead time of two weeks from design to serving the public, it was all hands on deck to deliver a kitchen from which Adam and his team can deliver their delicious new menu.”
Ray Costelloe added:
“At CCE we pride ourselves on value, quality design and finished products as well as on our 36 month warranty on all bespoke fabrication.”
