Tell us about Joe’s Oriental Diner, What is unique about the restaurant?
Joe’s Oriental Diner evokes the dive bar subculture of the Orient, where all walks of life meet to enjoy music and good times. The recent move from its pop-up location in London’s Chelsea to The Laundry will enhance the offering, reflecting Scott’s version of Pan Asian food which stays honest to the bare bone, gritty roots of recipes consumed in the ports of Asia.
Scott’s explosive dishes such as Crab Rangoon with Sweet Chilli Dip, Gai Yang Bbq Chicken with Sticky Bag Rice, Wood Fired Jumbo Shrimp, Singapore Chilli Style, Short rib Rendang Buns and Duck Leg Red Curry with Lychees are on the menu, bigger and better than before! Alongside are a selection of thirst quenching frosted beer tankards ‘Frosties’ and infamous Chinatown teapot cocktails which Joe’s Oriental Diner has already become renowned for.
How did you select the menu for the restaurant? What is your signature dish that everyone has to try?
The menu was fairly obvious, most of those dishes have roots in classic South East Asian cooking, flavours I’ve known since I was an apprentice and love so much. For me Joes was an outlet to have some fun with SE Asian ingredients. The must try dish is a toss up between the short rib rendang buns or the duck leg red curry with lychees.
Why did you choose East London for the new restaurant?
We were looking for somewhere that wasn’t overrun with restaurants, almost a clean slate. The Laundry building became available and the more we looked at it the better it looked. It’s a fantastic fit!
What would you say has been the most memorable experience while developing the business?
Picking it up from its pop-up location in Chelsea and plonking it down in London Fields within two days. ‘It’ll be easy’ I told our staff, they looked kind of shocked, it was like ‘holy shit, he isn’t joking, he actually wants to do this’. Did we pull it off? It was bloody hard, but yep, we did, our guys are brilliant!
What are your future plans?
More,more, more! This kind of stuff is such a blast, I want to do another Joes and another Kurobuta next year, not sure where exactly but one will pop up somewhere, stay tuned!
My book will be launched in March next year and I’m working on a pop-up world tour, if we can pull that one off I’ll be pretty impressed!
xxx
More info: http://www.joesorientaldiner.com/
