Applebee’s Fish is serving up the ultimate British seaside experience with a pop-up event opening tomorrow.
Diners will be able to tuck into the capital’s finest fish and chips, experience the champagne and oyster bar and enjoy the view overlooking the Thames next to the London Eye.
The pop-up is branching out from its Borough Market site with a rope-based pergola covering the area that includes a circular champagne and oyster bar, a kitchen and a casual dining and drinking area with a purpose-built sandpit for younger guests to enjoy.
Managing director of the event and general manager of the restaurant Jack Applebee, 26, said: “The idea was to create a bit more of an experience as opposed to just being somewhere for food.
“The main objective is to get the best seafood and cook it really simply, there’s a lot of simple dishes where you can really taste how good the produce is without overcomplicating it.”
Applebee’s Fish will be dishing out seaside favourites like fish and chips, sustainably sourced cod, panko prawns on a cucumber and coriander and mint salad.
Jack – pictured above with general manager Gemma Calendar and assistant manager Stephen Collier – is hoping the pop-up will attract both families and young people.
He explained: “I was initially targeting myself, sort of like 25 to 35-year-olds, somewhere to come for after work drinks – I still am in a way.
“But during the school holidays when we had the half-term, I noticed so many families came down and the kids were just sitting there for hours, and the parents can just sit and chill out.”
The family run business was started in the late 90s by Jack’s parents Joy and Graham, both now 58, as a fish stall in Borough Market.
Applebee’s Fish soon evolved into a restaurant after the overwhelming demand for hot food increased.
With help from Jack’s university friend Emma who designs and builds for exhibitions, the plan for the pop-up came to life after she helped to sort a floor plan for the event, which her company helped to build.
Jack said: “It’s so nice what they’ve done, I couldn’t have done it, my creativity on that front is not that good.
“It really is a nice place that you actually want to stay for a while and just chill out and drink great drinks and eat good food.”
More information can be found here.
