From Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th February, Merlin Labron-Johnson of Michelin-starred Osip and wine bar-bistro The Old Pharmacy in Bruton, Somerset, will be returning to London to take over the kitchen at 180 Corner on the Strand for four nights only. 

Having left the city to go back to his West Country roots in 2019 and open Osip to critical acclaim, Merlin’s cooking celebrates the bounty of the countryside surrounding his restaurants. Dictated by the produce available to him each day, whether grown and harvested by himself at Dreamers Farm nearby or sourced from his local community, Merlin’s creations are carefully considered, simple and unpretentious.

Influenced by the flavours of Southern France and Northern Italy, Merlin has created a set menu that kicks off with a bruschetta of eel and candy beetroot dusted with a powder of dried fruits, followed by a root vegetable tea with burnt garlic oil and then a buckwheat salad with champignon de Paris. Next will be scallops with Jerusalem artichoke, a potato and egg yolk raviolo and duck served with a winter mole rojo. Rounding off the menu will be a chocolate and sourdough millefeuille.

Merlin says, “The menu will very much be a reflection of the way I cook at Osip, shining a light on some of my favourite ingredients the team and I have grown on the farm and bringing them to the big city. I always stay true to my passion for merging West Country produce with the flavours of my travels in Europe and beyond. London is where I kick-started my career and I am so excited to be back in town to see friends old and new.”

Located on the east corner of 180 The Strand, 180 Corner is a restaurant that showcases a variety of chef talent: Merlin’s takeover will follow the likes of Anaïs Van Manen, Meedu Saad, Túbo Logier and Jackson Boxer to name a few.