Lucky & Joy is a one month pop-up from Ellen Parr of The ARt of Dining, and Pete Kelly, focussng on regional Chinese cuisine. It popped up earlier this year at Craving Coffee, and is now back for a longer run, this time in one of the railway arches on Bethnal Green Road. Open daily from 1st to 30th August, expect dishes like Xinjiang cumin lamb ribs, and steamed fish with black beans. Also, their new bar, The New Leaf, run by The Art of Drinking will in the arch next door, so make sure you visit that too!
"This August, Ellen Parr, co-founder of The Art of Dining and Pete Kelly will bring their Chinese pop-up, Lucky & Joy to East London with a residency on Cambridge Heath Road. Following a run of successful pop-ups in Tottenham and Hackney’s Institute of Light, the team will bring their bold take on regional Chinese cooking to a new home.
The menu will map the breadth of regional Chinese cooking, collected on their travels through China’s more remote corners alongside vibrant flavours influenced by Ellen’s time spent in the kitchens of Moro and Rochelle Canteen. Dishes will include Xinjiang cumin lamb ribs hailing from the provence of North-West Muslim China, as well as the numbing heat of Sichuan cooking with Bang Bang Chicken Salad. Xi’an style potatoes will celebrate flavours from the heart of China whilst, heading further south, following an ancient tea route, dishes such as steamed fish with black beans and tea leaf salad will showcase flavours from the Yunnan province laying on the border of Vietnam.
“We’ve just got back from a trip to China and are bursting with inspiration for our new home - we were lucky to travel to some crazy, isolated places and delve further into regional intricacies and flavour profiles. Chinese custom dictates that dinnertime is all about sharing and we’re excited to get everyone together around the table to discover more of the food we’ve fallen in love with” says Ellen.
Accompanying the food, a short wine list will be a laidback affair, championing young, environmentally conscious producers, with sparkling wines taking centre stage to compliment the heat of the dishes. Taking over the railway arch, Lucky & Joy’s signature pink lighting and kitsch flowers will contrast the exposed brickwork and industrial tables and chairs.
In the adjoining arch, Lucky & Joy will be joined by The New Leaf, a bar brought to you by The Art of Drinking. Inspired by the bars which litter Beijing’s hutong alleyways, the bar will echo the brash modernity of a flourishing metropolis with neon lighting, offset by traditional Chinese lanterns. An eclectic, rotating cocktail list devised by Pete will pillage the kitchen pantry of Asian fruits and spices, featuring Togarashi spiced yuzu sake slushee, Grilled peach margaritas and Lemongrass shochu cocktails. There will also be a dedicated bar snack menu with bao buns, Tornado potatoes and a BBQ in the garden cooking up Lamb shoulder kebab and BBQ aubergine and tofu with Kaffir lime and lemongrass.
“We wanted to bring together everything we love about China’s food scene, from the rural cooking of the North West to the big city spirit of Beijing. With both the bar and restaurant we’ve been able to truly showcase our own slice of the Orient” adds Pete.
Lucky and Joy will also be open at lunchtime serving simple, stripped back rice bowls whilst DJs will be on hand until late over the weekend to truly capture the vibrancy and vivacity of Beijing by night.
Lucky & Joy launch their residency under the arches at Cambridge Heath from 1st August."
When - 1st - 30th August 2017
Opening Hours:
Sunday – Wednesday 12 noon until 11pm
Thursday until midnight
Friday – Saturday until 1am
Where - 298-299, Railway Arches, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9HA
