Farmer J – All-day market food for Leadenhall
Brand new market dining restaurant Farmer J has brought healthy, filling and fast food to the heart of London’s Square Mile. Opening in Leadenhall on 9 May, Farmer J will send soggy sandwiches and sad salads to the compost heap in favour of hearty, healthy food that doesn’t skimp on flavour.
The main contractors on the project were GS Contracts and the restaurant has been designed by branding and interior design studio AfroditiKrassa.
Split over two floors, Farmer J has an open plan ground floor and an industrial feel on the first floor.
Commenting on the design, Afroditi Krassa said: “As you walk into the ground floor, on the right hand side is an open plan kitchen. It was designed to be completely open so there is very little hidden. You can see the gleam of the meat and the fish and the food preparation taking place. Towards the front, there is a counter which is made from blackened steel with an engineered white stone top and timber edging. We wanted it to be clean and fresh and didn’t want to bring a lot of dark materials and heavy textures in.
“Upstairs the wall finishes are a rough render, painted white, giving it a raw but fresh and classic yet industrial feel. There is a large communal table with stools all around and a light installation above which is a mixtures of concrete and black metal.”
The Farmer J menu was created and developed by executive chef Neil Witney, formerly of Mirabelle, La Bodega Negra and Casa Negra. All of the products used at Farmer J are seasonal and sourced from quality high welfare farms based in the UK when possible. The chicken is free range and the beef is prime meat.
Field Trays are made up of char-grilled meat and fish served alongside a choice of healthy grains, roasted vegetables and fish salads, all pepped up with punchy Mediterranean flavours and priced from £6.50. Ocean Trout in salsa Verde, served with spiced and roasted sweet potatoes and Kale Caesar salad is also on offer, as well as fiery Harissa Chicken with a charred broccoli and toasted almond dressing.
Sandwiches are also available including Flank Steak with slow-cooked red onion, watercress & chimichurri, or Hummus with aubergine, peppers, avocado & spinach.
Opening at the crack of dawn, Farmer J will serve up power-packed breakfasts of paleo granola, protein smoothies, cold-pressed juices and baked shakshuka – an energy-rich Israeli twist on poached eggs. Take-out boxes are perfect for desk-side eating, while the venue also offers 40 seats for eat-in-diners throughout the day.
Farmer J founder Jonathan Recanati commented: “I’m both pumped and proud to be able to finally bring city workers the lunch they deserver. At Farmer J we’ll serve up food that’s good for you, is ready when you are, doesn’t leave you hungry, doesn’t require a mortgage and is simply forkin’ delicious.”
Afroditi added: “We are a studio that takes on start up businesses if we believe that there is a real opportunity to achieve something successful. It is all down to creating ambition, wanting ambition and wanting something that is different and unique. What I saw in Jonathan was that he had that ambition of wanting something different and great. It is important for us to be involved from the beginning, so we can work as a team to create something strong that goes on to become very successful.”
