Whitechapel just got tastier: Foxcroft & Ginger open new premises

After tantalising the taste buds of Soho locals for the past few years, Foxcroft & Ginger is expanding with the launch of a 70-seat site in Whitechapel on Thursday 3 April 2014. The new glass-fronted dining space will occupy the ground floor of an iconic 20th Century building that once housed the “Harrods of the East”.

The artisan café will offer a specialist range of hand-made baked goods, incredible cakes, delicious brunches, sourdough-based pizza, creative cocktails and exquisite coffee. Every single ingredient will be freshly made in-house, with original recipes lovingly tweaked to perfection. A non-stop, 24-hour bakery operation is in place to create the unique sourdough, which is based on a secret family formula and adds a deeper flavour to all of the baked goods. The coveted sourdough bread, which is already supplied to a number of top London restaurants, will also be available to purchase in store.

Hearty breakfasts and brunches offer the perfect start to the day, with choices such as best-seller “French Toast” (£6.40) (French Toast, béchamel sauce, ham & cheese, drizzled with honey mustard) and “Eggs Bennie” (£8.25), where eggs are cooked ‘sous vide’ at exactly 63 degrees for an hour to achieve the ideal consistency. Sourdough pizzas are available in the evenings, perfected with a range of flavoursome toppings such as: Pulled pork, smokey tomato sauce, mozzarella & jalapenos (£7.50). Foxcroft & Ginger is also renowned for its delicious range of original cakes and pastries, including the gooey Chocolate Brownie with its delightful truffle consistency and coco powder topping (£1.90 a slice), the fabulous Banana Bread, and the Lemon Meringue Cupcake, oozing with fruity lemon curd (£2.95). Organic flour is used throughout, and a gluten-free “Blood Orange and Chocolate Ganache Cake” (£3.95) is also available.

Coffee is taken extremely seriously, with only the finest beans imported from The Roasting Party, Has Bean and Caravan, while the water is purified using reverse osmosis to create a smooth, clean taste. Similarly, a selection of fresh tea leaves from Chash Tea is available, offering high quality and unusual blends. Carefully chosen wines and craft beers appear on the menu, such as Dead Pony (US) and London Meantime, plus a new selection of cocktails will be created for the Whitechapel site by legendary mixologist, Douglas Ankrah, of Townhouse and Lab Bar.

The new café will follow the same quirky industrial-chic design principles made famous in the Berwick Street site. The original 4m exposed high stone ceiling is enhanced by rows of black bell-shaped miner-esque lamps. In contrast the table tops are finished with beautiful Lebanese Cedar wood, with a mix of banquette and individual seating. Vintage touches, such as the mismatched crockery handpicked from various markets, give the room a cosy, charming feel. Keep an eye out for the original, hand-carved F&G heart logo on the owners’ old family kitchen table – a statement piece of furniture that aptly embodies the home-from-home atmosphere.

Foxcroft & Ginger is the lovechild of dynamic husband and wife duo, Quintin and Georgina, who spent over ten years launching successful restaurants before taking the plunge with their own creation. Born from a desire to find a place where you can relax with good food and not feel pressured to pay up and move on, F&G is the place they dreamed of for years. It takes its name from Quintin’s family name, ‘Foxcroft’, and Georgina’s redhead pride! The original Berwick Street site has already developed a cult following, including the likes of Lily Cole, Anne Hathaway and Bill Nighy, thanks to its lovingly made, delicious offerings.

The new site is ideally located on Mile End Road, one of the main thoroughfares into the City. It has excellent transport links with both Whitechapel and Stepney Green Underground Stations in walking distance. The immediate area has undergone significant regeneration recently, and is now home to numerous high profile residential and mixed-use schemes, along with the main campus for the Queen Mary, University of London. Directly above the cafe is Central Working, an innovative business space full of dynamic, creative people.