Neil Rankin to launch new animal barbecue restaurant on Bonfire Night

Barbeque expert, Neil Rankin will launch, Temper, a whole animal barbecue restaurant in Soho with Managing Director, Sam Lee on Bonfire Night this Autumn.

The idea behind the restaurant is to offer guests a more stripped down dining experience. The venue will seat 42 guests around an open kitchen and fire pit where they will experience pork, lamb and goat cooked in front of them. A separate private dining area will also cater for an additional 30 guests.

Former Pitt Cue Co chef, Neil said: “I wanted to move away from small plates and tasting menus, and really strip things back to a more basic approach. It’s really just meat - cooked well and served with bread, salad, condiments and a nice glass of wine. I have often felt that some meat focused restaurants are overly masculine and put the emphasis too heavily on large cuts of meat.

“I wanted to create a restaurant that offered choice, not only in terms of portion size, but also in animal breeds, sides and sauces – giving back the control to the customer and allowing them to decide what they eat. I want temper to cater for those big meaty celebration dinners, but also for super-fast lunches and lighter more vegetable focused meals. "

Almost all of the meat will be offered in 100g + cuts, available with a range of plates designed around seasonal vegetables as well as offering vegetarian options.

The aim of Temper is to focus on sustainable cooking using the whole animal to minimise wastage even using animal bones harvested for broth.

There will also be a taco bar above the restaurant using heritage corn imported from Masienda. The seven cover bar will also serve wine for customers on arrival before they head down to dine in the main restaurant.