Basque steak restaurant Ibai launching next month

Nemanja Borjanović and William Sheard with head chef Richard Foster are opening Ibai, a Basque steak restaurant in the City of London, in June. 

While steak is the focus, produce from the lesser-known French Basque region will also feature on the menu. 

Housed a stone's throw from St Paul's and a short walk from Bank on Bartholomew Close, the 80-seater dining room will be led by Foster, the former executive head chef of Chiltern Firehouse, while Borjanović and Sheard will oversee front-of-house. 

Celebrating Basque gastronomy

Borjanović and Sheard's roots in Basque gastronomy will also introduce new dishes from the French Basque region, including 'guisante lagrima' teardrop peas, king crab rice, boudin blanc black pudding, tuna T bone and Aldabia corn-fed chicken. 

The dessert menu will feature Gateau Basque with almond and black cherries, and Basque cheeses including Ossau Iraty and Bleu des Basques. Many of the wines will come directly from producers and there will be mature vintages of sought-after classics.

Ibai will be a refined and contemporary iteration of the traditional steak restaurant. The former factory site will be fitted with semicircle banquettes and flooded with natural light.

Foster says of the upcoming launch: "The French Basque country is so rich in produce and incredible dishes that shape its heritage and culinary culture. I've extensively travelled the French Basque region, from the small towns of Espelette to Biarritz, which has shaped my passion for this undiscovered region, and it's from my travels that the menu at Ibai has been created."

You may also be interested in…