As if running a restaurant wasn’t already enough of a logistical challenge, it’s a wonder that restaurateurs have the energy to organise one that’s constantly on the move. Which is exactly what Jackson Berg and Conor Sheehan – formerly the head chef and general manager of London’s Bistrotheque – have taken on with their Xiringuito concept.
Named after the Catalanian seasonal bars that open on beaches during the summer, Xiringuito debuted this past summer in Margate, Kent, delivering to amused and curious diners a menu of modern Brit cuisine.
Its second location has just opened inside an old warehouse at the Cains Brewery, which is part of the new Northern Lights development in Liverpool’s Baltic quarter. Architect Asif Khan has fashioned a Toblerone-shaped shell made of clamped scaffolding poles, whose footprint literally makes up the restaurant, whilst a separate bar has been set up at the entrance to the warehouse.
The industrial simplicity of the setting allows Berg to freestyle his way through an eclectic menu (physically designed by the illustrator John Booth) that changes daily, though there are mainstays, like the curried soft shelled crab burger, and a salt hake brandade served with pickled and fried onion rings. The closing act, headlined by pastry chef Julia Howe, is equally tempting with the dulce le leche ice-cream sandwich, and peanut butter and jelly doughnut winning appreciative applause.
