Monday Bulletin: Fran’s all-day cafe and the closure of the Oyster & Fish House

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

Fran’s

Francesca D’Agostino, the founder of Wilton Way Deli and Wines in Hackney, has opened a new ‘all-day cafe’ on the corner of the same road, paying tribute to London’s Anglo-Italian dining culture. Called Fran’s and ‘inspired by the old-style Italian/British cafes that are disappearing’, there’s a focus on comfort food, from cooked breakfasts to jacket potatoes, club sandwiches to pasta dishes, including tagliatelle al ragu and meatballs scarpetta. Pies, too, and sausage and mash. There’s a big emphasis on community here, with a Sweet Pea florist pop-up and a space downstairs for workshops and events. It sounds excellent; we can’t wait to check it out.

Hix

Dorset stalwart Mark Hix has announced the closure of the Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis after 16 years of trading. Hix wrote on Instagram: ‘I always think if you’re going to stop doing something, you should always go out on a high. And so, with a heavy heart, I am announcing the closure of the Oyster & Fish House on December 7. The restaurant, along with the team, will be taken over in the very near future, and news of that will follow next week. But for now, I wanted to personally say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported the business over the years.’ Hix has been behind numerous restaurants in London and Dorset over the years, but said he has no immediate plans to open any more. He will focus instead on events at his home in Charmouth.

Small Plates

• Irish chef Anna Haugh has been talking about opening a wine bar for a while now. It’s finally happened: the Little Sister has launched next to her Chelsea restaurant Myrtle.
   
• One of London’s most historic and cherished Italian social clubs, Casa Italiana in Clerkenwell, is in financial difficulty and facing closure. The Big Mamma group is helping out with a fundraiser on November 14. Lots of good pasta, wine and music. Tickets are £60 and available here.
   
• The team behind Angelina Dalston is hosting a British seafood pop-up in with Flying Fish this month. The event, on a moored canal boat in Paddington, is called Angelina Sull’Acqua (Angelina on the Water), and on the way are new dishes in the Angelina style, combining Italian and Japanese flavours and techniques. Tickets are £89 for a nine-course menu. Between November 13-16.
   
• The team behind Irish pub Nancy Spains in Shoreditch is already planning a second. Peter and Nicholas O’Halloran have taken the former Wine Lodge in the City and will bring pints of Murphy’s, live music and Tayto crisps to the site before the end of the month.
   
• Following Farmer J, Urban Greens and the Salad Project comes Pick Your Own, a new concept that aims to ‘revolutionise’ the daily salad. It’s opening next to the new Sandwich Sandwich site (apparently the country’s biggest sandwich bar) on Mark Lane and will focus on wild foods and produce from regenerative farms. One dish sounds very London: ‘Avo and chips’.
  

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