Meet the chef: Frankie van Loo of Applebee’s
Applebee’s is one of Borough Market’s restaurant institutions – and is where to go in the capital for some seriously good seafood
Borough Market has long been a haven for London’s restaurant institutions. Dating back to the 12th century, and rooted in the fruit and vegetable trade, the market is still renowned as the capital’s culinary epicentre and was the birthplace of some serious foodie stalwarts, such as Sillfield Farm stocking heritage sausages and Neal’s Yard Dairy, a pioneering purveyor of artisanal British cheese.
One such restaurant institution, however, is Applebee’s. Having begun its life in Borough Market as a fishmonger, founders Joy and Graham Applebee moved into their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant on Stoney Street 25 years ago. Marking its milestone anniversary this year, it set sail in a new direction when it emerged from a top-to-toe renovation by design studio A-nrd and a menu overhaul in February, overseen by second-generation owner Jack Applebee and acclaimed chef, Frankie van Loo.
Having joined the independent and family-run restaurant last year after 13 years at Jason Atherton’s Social Company restaurant group, van Loo has been at the helm while Applebee’s launched its new weekly-changing, fish-focused menu, dictated by what lands on the Devon and Cornwall dayboats each morning and sourced directly from fishermen at Brixham Fish Market. His passion for sustainable seafood shines through, as the restaurant buys whole catches in a variety of sizes to allow diners to select their preferred weight, priced daily on the blackboard at market rates. Each fish is dry-aged for 24-36 hours in a Himalayan pink salt chamber, on show in the open kitchen, to enhance flavour and ensure perfectly crisp skin when cooked over the live-fire grill.
There are several star dishes – and I certainly found it hard to whittle them down when I visited Applebee’s on a bustling weeknight – but the delectable brown crab rarebit is a must, as is the butterflied red mullet in a bouillabaisse sauce: a zero-waste creation that incorporates every part of the fish and seafood and replaces traditional Gruyère cheese with Lincolnshire Poacher for a distinctly local touch. Applebee’s signature fish and chips remains a menu staple – and can be cod, haddock, plaice, or turbot depending on the day’s catch – while last month saw the kitchen put a luxurious spin on the traditional Sunday roast, serving salmon en croute or a whole turbot designed for sharing.
Pair the enviable food menu with a selection of cutting-edge English wines, clever cocktails (we love the Gilda Martini, using Vault’s coastal vermouth infused by oyster shell and foraged botanicals such as rock samphire) and warm impeccable service, Applebee’s is one of the best fish restaurants in the capital – and should be on the list for any discerning diner that takes their seafood seriously. As van Loo steers the kitchen in a new direction, we sit down to discuss new challenges, the simplicity of seafood and the importance of trusted suppliers.
My earliest food memory is a roast, we would have one each week at home. Growing up in a large family, Sunday lunch was when the whole family came together.
I started my career in hospitality aged 14. It was a weekend job pot washing in a local family run restaurant in North Yorkshire. Seen as a right of passage, my elder brothers and sisters had all worked there. When I first made the move down to London, I worked at The Bleeding Heart restaurant in Hatton Garden for two and a half years.
After 13 years with The Social Company, I felt it was time for a new challenge. I had an incredible time working with Jason, what I learnt has been invaluable to my career. Three of the biggest lessons I learnt there were about seasonality, consistency and standards – and that you don’t compromise on any of them.
Applebee’s has got a fantastic history, a family business that has been built up over 25 years, and is now in the hands of the next generation of Applebee’s. There are not many places in London that have a history like Applebee’s, so when the opportunity came up to join the business and bring in the skills that I have developed I saw it as an opportunity not to be missed.
I bring a fresh approach to some seasoned classics. I want guests to read a menu that trips a bit of nostalgia in their memory; a prawn cocktail, toasted rarebit, pavlova are all dishes that evoke memories. [The challenge is] how we make that version of those dishes better than your best memory.
Borough Market is such a vibrant community [that’s] very busy, and always has a great vibe. The food over the last couple of years has really changed and elevated the market to a new level.
I love the simplicity of seafood. We have this amazing bespoke charcoal grill that was built for us by British Metal Craft that we grill on. We have two main supply sources for our seafood. Our main source of seafood and one that we are really proud of and that plays a key part in our sourcing and sustainability pledge is from Brixham Market on the south coast. We buy directly from the auction five days a week. This allows us to see exactly where the fish is coming from, what boat it was that caught the fish, where it was caught and what fishing methods are used.
We also use Flying Fish Seafoods; the team there are very knowledgeable and are a great guide as to what seafood is in season and and the quality of it. They help us source the seaweed that is foraged around the Cornish coastline, as well as supplying us with the stunning St Austell bay mussels.
Sabor. I have eaten there a few times over the last few years. Nieves Barragán Mohacho is a fantastic chef and her cooking is packed full of flavour.
Andy Benyon from Behind restaurant in Hackney is a great chef who is going from strength to strength. His cooking is very elegant and refined.
I have two young girls at home that keep me very much occupied when I’m not at work. Our little project at home at the moment is a small vegetable and herb patch which we’re putting together. Being able to grow some vegetables, herbs, and fruit at home is a great way to get the little ones interested in different foods.
I’m going to cheat and name three dishes! Grilled scallops, Dover sole and the whole stuffed seabream. These three dishes best showcase our style of cooking at Applebee’s. The scallops are grilled in the shell and served with three flavoured butters: seaweed, sobrasada and scallop roe. The Dover soles are dry-aged in our Himalayan salt fridge before cooking. The seabream has become an unexpected star of the menu and one of our signature dishes, the fish is canoe filleted (the fish is kept whole with all the bones removed) and then stuffed with a Bombay-style potato filling. Being able to grill and serve a whole fish without the hassle of bones getting in the way has made this dish a big hit with the guests.
Visit applebeesfish.com
