The chef Rowley Leigh is to return to the pass next month, having created a new menu for City restaurant The Don.
Leigh, once of Kensington Place fame, will be “guiding the kitchen” at the Swithin’s Lane restaurant, working alongside David Gleave of Liberty Wines as well as executive chef Mahdi Chawki and head chef Simon Robinson.
The new menu takes inspiration from The Don’s former guise as the home of Sandeman Port between 1805 and 1967, and Leigh has again sought an unfussy but refined approach: “Always use one ingredient less rather than one more”, he reminded us.
Upcoming, then, are dishes focusing on classic techniques and quality ingredients.
Examples include raw bluefin tuna with horseradish and dripping toast, a carpaccio of figs and raw ceps with chilli crumbs, a maple glazed partridge with succotash and a roast turbot loin with shrimps and girolles to share, and some old favourites from Kensington Place and Le Cafe Anglais, both of which cemented Leigh as one of London’s finest chefs.
As for the wine list, Gleave is working with head sommelier Arletta Mala, who has also looked to ports and sherries. Overseeing the restaurant, meanwhile, is Benoit Auneau, who manages a dining room where white table cloths remain.
“I have always loved The Don,” said Leigh. “It will be a treat to come back to the City: my first head chef job was at Le Poulbot in Cheapside about a hundred yards away so it will be fun to come back.
“My cooking may have changed a bit but the old school principles still apply: do justice to the ingredients and keep it simple. The menu won’t be a greatest hits album but there might be a couple of old favourites lurking around.”
Gleave added: “Good wine should always be accompanied by great food and company, and I believe that’s what we’ve created at The Don.
“Rowley and I go way back and have enjoyed many a glass together talking about what The Don is to become — its such an institution and we want it to be the place to go for people in the city”.
Rowley Leigh at The Don will open in November. 20 St Swithin's Lane EC4N 8AD thedonlondon.com @thedonlondon
