A Hammersmith Neighbourhood Eatery that’s both Sustainable & Stylish
A new 60-cover restaurant has opened in the heart of Hammersmith, London. Faber is a sustainability-focussed neighbourhood eatery with a themed menu from executive chef Ollie Bass (previously Quo Vadis and Sessions Arts Club). With dishes influenced by Britain’s coast the á la carte menu and daily market blackboard shares freshly caught seafood supported by a broad selection of fine meat and vegetarian dishes, all sourced from coastal towns around the UK.
Featuring a regularly changing menu, based on the daily catch Faber’s fishmonger partners hail in, the current seafood dishes on the á la carte menu include: Chalkstream Hampshire trout tartare with soya, keta caviar & nori; Butterflied Devon mackerel, parsley, & anchovy; Grilled Cornish cod cheek skewer with tartar sauce; BBQ Orkney scallop, cauliflower and patis puree, pickled cucumber, and chervil, Cornish Mussels, white wine, shallot & cream sauce, sourdough; and BBQ wild Devon sea bass, crown prince squash and purple sprouting broccoli.
But there’s also plenty of options for vegetarian visitors to Faber, with non-meat options sourced from British coastal towns, including stuffed cabbage, leek, celeriac, Corra Lin cheese and Burrata, sea vegetable salad, dulse breadcrumbs.
Always with an eye on affordability and fresh fish for all, Faber also offers a £15 workers lunch special and house oysters at £2 a serving. Monday-Thursday 4pm-6pm (served with lemon, shallot vinegar and tabasco).
Speaking on Faber, Ollie Bass said:
“My long held love of fish comes from roots in the south west, with a particularly strong memory of eating a dish of delicately cooked mackerel at Rick Stein’s in Padstow. Our road trips to suppliers for Faber have felt like a trip down memory lane to me, especially getting the charcoals going and cooking on the beach on warm summer evenings. With a firm sight held on getting the most seasonal and sustainable fish into our kitchen, the menu acts as a platform to showcase the best from our shores and coastlines including my hometown.”
What sets Faber apart is their commitment to working with ethical British suppliers, ensuring everything on the menu is fresh, sustainably sourced, and supports the local economy. Faber’s suppliers include Câr-y-Môr in Pembrokeshire – Wales’ first regenerative seaweed and shellfish farm, Portland Shellfish – sustainable shellfish and crab from Dorset, Maldon Oyster Company – growers of some of the UK’s finest oysters in the waters of Goldhanger Creek, Coombeshead Farm Bakery – Cornwall based farm supplying all baked goods, Isle of White Tomatoes – tomatoes grown in the rich fertile soil of the Arreton Valley and Shrub Provisions – purveyors of small-scale farms, organised and delivered by Shrub. And in a bid to remain as carbon neutral as possible, all deliveries are made via electric vehicles.
The coastal theme carries through to the drinks menu, with cocktails based around artisan distilleries from around the British Isles. Serves include Sugar kelp old fashioned (wrecking coast rye whiskey, sugar kelp, and bitters, with sugar), Monksbeard martini (wrecking coast scurvy gin, noilly prat, monskbeard & lemon, samphire), and the world’s first cocktail, Grog – a spiced rum, lime and sugar based concoction originally sipped by 18th century pirates and the British Navy’s sailors. Meanwhile the wine list is entirely sourced from British coastal and European vineyards, so as to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation.
Throughout the venue, every aspect of the interior, lighting and furnishing has been carefully designed to compliment the ample natural light and character of the Victorian building, while subtly evoking the British coastline with warm lighting and cream textured walls. Tall windows offer a bright and airy feel throughout, while the blackboard takes centre stage, showcasing a daily changing seafood menu. A map of the British Isles towards the kitchen proudly champions Faber’s suppliers while a dispenser carries scents of sea salt across the dining room.
Sustainability is at the forefront of every aspect of the restaurant including energy supply and waste management, as well as discarding bottled water in favour of a filter system, with a cover charge of 75p introduced for this water to fund the planting of more seaweed beds in Pembrokeshire.
Co-founders Matt and Anthony grew the concept of Faber during lockdown, delivering shellfish, seafood, and cocktails on their bikes in East London, before transforming The Victoria Mile End into an East London boozer big on fish.
For more information or to make a reservation, head over to the restaurant’s official website.