Joe Laker announces plans for chef's table restaurant

Counter 71, a chef’s table restaurant serving 16 covers a night, and Lowcountry, a bar paying homage to the cocktail culture of the American South, is coming to Shoreditch in June.
It will be the debut opening from chef Joe Laker, housed under a single roof within 71 Nile Street. Laker’s menu is an ode to the British Isles, offering dishes that depict the minimalist style he has honed through years in contemporary kitchens.
Dishes on Laker’s opening menu, set to continually evolve with the seasons, will include langoustine broth and pickled carrot; brown crab donut and scallop roe; eel tart, fried seaweed and caviar; cheese and Marmite scone and poacher custard; chocolate parfait, yoghurt sorbet and buckwheat crumb.
Counter 71 rendering (by Interesting Projects)
Working alongside Laker will be sous chef Michael Miles (Manteca, Fenn and St Leonards) whilst Harry Cooper (Fenn, Anglo, Picture) will head up front-of-house. Cooper will also curate the wine list, showcasing a selection leaning towards New World wines and varieties from lesser-known producers.
Lowcountry
Named after the area which spans from Mid-coast Georgia to North Carolina, famed for its Bourbon and Rye, Lowcountry will be headed up by Savannah-born mixologist Ryan Sheehan, and highlight American whiskey and its prominence throughout the ages. Seating 28 covers and open for standalone bookings and walk-ins as well as Counter 71 guests before or after dinner. The drinks menu will offer Signature, Historical and Classic cocktails. Using surplus produce from the Counter 71 kitchen by means to eradicate unnecessary waste, the Lowcountry cocktails will take a culinary approach and will be adapted frequently according to the seasons.
To accompany the cocktails, Laker, who spent part of his childhood in both Alabama and South Carolina, has developed a menu of bite-sized dishes influenced by the indulgent delicacies of the Lowcountry, adapted using British ingredients to include: pimento cheese rarebit, shrimp and grits prawn toast and fried okra.